Estimating Adults Living with Intellectual Disabilities in America - Our Experts Look at the Numbers
A new study conducted by faculty researchers at the Institute of Public and Preventive Health at Augusta University shows the prevalence of intellectual disability (ID) in adults. Read the JIDR study hereBut looking at childhood survey data of those with ID, conclusions can be drawn on how many adults have intellectual disability. The study was conducted by Teal Benevides, PhD, assistant professor in the Institute of Public and Preventive Health at Augusta University, Biplab Datta, PhD, assistant professor in IPPH and the Department of Health Management, Economics and Policy, Jennifer Jaremski, research associate in IPPH, and Michael McKee, PhD, associate professor at the University of Michigan. The study estimates the number of adults living with ID is .95% or 9.5 per 1,000 adults between the ages of 21 and 41. “Intellectual disability is diagnosed in childhood,” said Benevides. “It needs to be diagnosed early. It’s not something that just happens in adulthood. So relying on the estimate that’s from childhood surveys is a good start. It’s just aging estimates up based off the current population of the U.S. So I do feel pretty confident that we can base future projections off in the absence of better epidemiological evaluations of prevalence.”She added it’s important to realize a lot of people with ID are now out of high school and age out of educational services to support them at the age of 21. They may fall through the cracks during the transition to adulthood and may not be receiving the services they need.“Many adults with ID are going to require services and support. They’re likely going to require housing support, employment support and many of them are food insecure,” Benevides said. “I think policymakers at both the state and federal level need to know about this because regardless of whether or not our policymakers support Medicaid expansion, many people with ID are also going to need adequate healthcare coverage because the vast majority of people with intellectual disability are not employed.” Not just that, many of those with ID are more likely to experience disparities in housing, employment, education, poverty and more. Biplab Datta and Teal BenevidesIn Georgia, Benevides said there is a waitlist of 7,000 people looking for Medicaid services for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and there’s just not enough resources available to assist those with ID.Another concern is that people with ID have the same life span and those who may prove care, such as parents or guardians, don’t know what will happen to their older children with ID when they aren’t around or are unable to assist them.“What alarms me is we don’t have sufficient services and supports for adults. We just don’t have them,” she said. “When people ask for services, support and resources, there’s no place to point them to unless they are children.” Biplab Datta, PhD, is an assistant professor in Institute of Public and Preventive Health and in the Department of Population Health Sciences at Augusta University.Teal Benevides, PhD, OTR/L is an associate professor and the Director of Faculty Development, Institute of Public and Preventive HealthBoth experts are available to speak about this important research simply click on either expert's icon to arrange an interview and time to talk today.
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How does Georgia rank when looking at various health factors? An Augusta University study provides answers
The annual Healthy Georgia Report has been released by Augusta University’s Institute of Public and Preventive Health and it gives a snapshot of how Georgians stack up against not only neighboring states, but the country when it comes to a variety of health topics. This year’s report has added information on adult dental health, poor mental health, skin cancer and overdose deaths. Information on HIV risk behaviors, breast cancer screenings and colon cancer screenings have also returned.The report has been delivered to lawmakers, community leaders and researchers in Georgia to provide them with tangible figures on how Georgia is faring in numerous topics. The goal is to stimulate conversations about public health needs and, in turn, promote action, such as policy changes, greater community engagement and the appraisal of funds.Biplab Datta, PhD, assistant professor in the IPPH and the Department of Health Management, Economics and Policy, has collaborated with other IPPH faculty and staff to update the report. Datta has seen the impact this can have with state leaders.“They have a good appetite for data driven policy changes. I think this report actually helps them in that direction,” said Datta. “We tried to present data in a way that policy makers may find helpful in deciding on appropriate policy choices.”Overdose deaths is one of the new categories this year and is a hot topic nationwide. The report shows Georgia has the sixth lowest rate of overdose deaths in the country. Datta said that’s good, but the number is trending upwards and now should be the time to take steps to prevent it from getting worse.“We cannot be satisfied. We are doing a good job but need to be on our toes to prevent it from further ascending,” Datta said.Another category that Georgia is trending in a good direction is cigarette smoking. But the opposite is true for the obesity rate in the Peach State. The data shows Georgia has the 14th highest rate of obesity in all of the U.S. and the number is on the rise. Read the Healthy Georgia Report hereThe data also shows it’s related to household income and education. Adults who are below the federal poverty line and without a college degree are significantly more likely to be obese. Also, those in the 18-to-49 age group have a high rate of obesity compared to the national and regional average.“That is problematic because if someone is developing some cardiometabolic conditions in this age group, they will be at high risk for adverse cardiovascular events at an older age. So we need to focus on food habits, physical exercise, and other health promoting behaviors to prevent and control obesity,” Datta said.Another interesting topic is those in Georgia who have health insurance coverage. While coverage in adults is second lowest in the nation, there is a slight uptick in the number of people who have coverage from the past few years. The number is much better for children with health insurance. He points out that many state programs like PeachCare for Kids may account for the differences. Datta said one topic that definitely needs to be investigated more is cancer rates. He said we observe a low prevalence rate, despite the common perception and other data sources suggest a relatively higher incidence rate of cancer in Georgia. He believes we may be seeing lower survival rates that are not included in the survey. “I think we need more investigation into this particular issue,” said Datta. “Why are we seeing so low numbers of cancer prevalence when we know that cancer incidence rates are very high in Georgia?”The Healthy Georgia Report is the only report of its kind in the stateLooking to know more or connect with Biplab Dhatta? Then let us help.Biplab is available to speak with media regarding this important topic. Simply click on his icon now to arrange an interview today.
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Annual Healthy Georgia Report from Augusta University shows state’s health care wins along with areas to improve
Augusta University’s second annual Healthy Georgia Report has been released, offering a snapshot of health in the Peach State as compared to not only neighboring states, but also the entire country. While Georgia’s population is doing well in some key health factors, researchers also found areas that could benefit from more awareness and public policy action.Biplab Datta, PhD, assistant professor in the Institute of Public and Preventive Health and the Medical College of Georgia’s Department of Population Health Sciences, collaborated with other IPPH faculty and staff to update the report and add new categories this year. The goal of the report is to connect with lawmakers, community leaders and researchers, stimulate conversations about public health needs and promote action, such as greater community engagement, research for informing effective policies and appraisal of required funds.“We need to make lawmakers aware of the public health situation in the state of Georgia,” said Datta. “We hope this report will help identify areas that need policy attention. It can also play an important role in bridging the gap between researchers and policymakers.”Using 2021 data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance system, the National Survey of Children’s Health, the American Community Survey and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s COVID Data Tracker website, the report was compiled on numerous health topics. Some categories studied include high cholesterol, hypertension, obesity, arthritis, asthma, cancer, cardiovascular diseases, alcohol consumption, diabetes and more. It also broke down each category by age, sex, race, income level and other socioeconomic indicators to get a full representation of the data. New to the study this year is an in-depth look at health insurance coverage, COVID-19 vaccinations, breastfeeding, child maltreatment, and unmet healthcare need of children.Georgia ranks 49th in the nation when it comes to health insurance coverage. That was a surprise to Datta.“I didn’t expect the numbers to be that bad, but I think it also indicates the scope of work that we need to undertake to improve insurance coverage in Georgia,” he said.Another surprise was the low rate of flu vaccination in Georgia. “We know there is a difference between whites and Blacks in the U.S. But when we look at and compare Black people in Georgia with Blacks in the rest of the southeastern states, we see the flu vaccination rate was significantly lower among Blacks in Georgia. This is an issue that warrants further research to understand the underlying causes of such disparity,” said Datta. As it was a year ago, hypertension remains a concern. There are several issues involved when talking about hypertension but there are also straightforward ways to improve the condition Datta said.“I think one of the core components of hypertension control is just changing some behavioral stuff. If we just reduced the sodium content in our daily diet, if we do regular physical exercise for a certain amount of time that will significantly improve our hypertension management. Community-level initiatives to make people aware of these things can make a real difference,” said Datta.Residents in Georgia are doing better in several areas such as obesity, cancer rates, asthma prevalence and depressive disorders. Datta said it’s important to recognize these improvements so we can learn from them.“We need to figure out where we are doing well and use that experience in areas where we are not doing so well. It will help us move toward the right direction.”He added it’s important to always be looking for ways to evolve the study, and that includes adding new categories when enough data is available.“We didn’t cover sexually transmitted diseases in this year’s report, which we would like to add when data will become available. We’d also like to add teenage pregnancy, maternal health issues, gun violence and opioid use,” he said.Looking to learn about health in the Peach State? Then let us help.Biplab Datta is available to speak with media regarding this important topic. Simply click on his icon now to arrange an interview today.
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Biography
Dr. Biplab Datta joined Augusta University in 2020 as Assistant Professor in the Institute of Public and Preventive Health and in the Department of Population Health Sciences. He also has a joint appointment in the Hull College of Business. Prior to joining Augusta University he served as a Prevention Effectiveness Fellow Economist at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Dr. Datta’s research explores the niche areas in the junction of public health and economics. His works broadly cover the socioeconomic, demographic, and behavioral determinants and risk factors of non-communicable diseases (NCDs); the socioeconomic burden of NCD health conditions and associated treatment costs; access and affordability of NCD-related healthcare; and health system preparedness for managing NCDs.
He has a particular interest in investigating the impacts of certain disease conditions on individual/household’s economic decision-making. His research generates evidence on how NCD treatment costs are associated with household resource allocation, consumption displacements, poverty and impoverishment. His works also examine disparities in health risks such as tobacco use and the heterogeneous impact of health policies across socioeconomic groups. He has a special interest in investigating the role of psychosocial factors such as household environment and life course events such as adolescent childbearing in hypertension and other disease outcomes. The far-reaching goals of his research are to facilitate strategic interventions for NCD prevention and control, and strengthening the health systems for effective management of both infectious and non-infectious diseases.
Areas of Expertise
Global Health
Health Economics
Non-Communicable Diseases
Healthcare Financing
Socioeconomic Determinants of Health
Health Disparity
Accomplishments
Student Fellow of the Public Choice Society
2016
E.D. (Jack) Dunn Fellowship, Georgia State University
2016
Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta Fellowship
2015, 2016
The Quantitative Economics Award, Georgia State University
2015
Honor of Excellence, Notre Dame Abritti Dal (Recitation Club)
2009
GRA Outstanding Award, Georgia State University
2014, 2015
Award of Honor, Department of Economics, University of Dhaka
2008
Best Budding Economist of South Asia, 5th South Asian Economics Students’ Meet
A new report checks the health of Georgians and shows room for improvement
Yahoo! News online
2024-02-25
The annual Healthy Georgia report is out. The publication comes from the Institute of Public and Preventive Health at Augusta University. It looks at rates of obesity, diabetes, cancer and other issues. Watch our interview with Dr. Biplab Datta, and find out how Georgia compares to other parts of the country. You’ll also find out how we can all lead healthier lives. Enjoy this interview and be sure to join us for The Means Report. We are on Monday afternoon at 12:30 on NewsChannel 6.
AU report rates Georgians’ health compared to other states
WRDW tv
2024-02-13
Where does Georgia stand when it comes to good health? A new study from Augusta University is shedding some light on the matter.
The annual Healthy Georgia Report, released by AU’s Institute of Public and Preventive Health, gives a snapshot of how Georgians stack up against not only neighboring states but also the country.
The report is the only one of its kind in the state and has been delivered to state lawmakers.
One area where the state has fallen behind is obesity rates, Assistant Professor Bipab Datta said.
FOX54 Mornings: Augusta University releases Healthy Georgia Report
WFXG tv
2024-02-07
Augusta University released its annual Healthy Georgia report. It is a one-of-a-kind report in the state and it shows how Georgia ranks in the southeast and the entire United States when it comes to health issues.
The report looks at health related issues. The report will end up in the hands of state legislators to help them potentially direct funding and resources to certain areas.
Preventative action is needed now to reduce Georgians' risk of disease in the future
GPB radio
2024-02-06
More and younger people are struggling with obesity and diabetes, especially in rural parts of the South. The annual Healthy Georgians report from Augusta University has suggestions for policy makers. GPB’s Ellen Eldridge has more.
It’s Time to Treat Housing Insecurity as a Health Risk
Wired UK online
2022-10-07
So it’s not one factor alone that likely contributes to cancer disparities, but rather the joint impact of race, ethnicity, housing, and other different factors acting together, argues Biplab Datta, assistant professor at the Institute of Public and Preventive Health at Augusta University. A potential solution is identifying populations that are at greater risk from cancer, he says, and if housing insecurity is higher among a population or location, then critical improvements—such as improving cancer screening and quality of care, and reducing stress—should be pursued in those places, through policy.
Cost of cancer treatment can impact health of survivors
Yahoo! online
2022-09-15
“When you have catastrophic financial consequences from fighting cancer, what do you do? You cut back,” says Dr. Biplab Datta, an author on the study and health economist at the Augusta University Institute of Public and Preventive Health in a press release. “You don’t shop at the local grocery store. You don’t go to local restaurants. You cannot spend your money in the community, which also impacts other people living in the community. It’s a domino effect.”
New study shows child marriage could cause long-term hypertension
JAGWire online
2022-08-11
“The finding that child marriage is a risk factor for hypertension later in life adds to the long list of reasons why we need to prevent these marriages from happening,” said Datta. “Furthermore, those who already were married at a young age are in need of standard hypertension care.
FOX54 Mornings: Augusta University releases Healthy Georgia report
WFXG tv
2023-02-06
Augusta University released its annual Healthy Georgia report. It is a one-of-a-kind report in the state of Georgia and it shows how Georgia ranks in the southeast and the entire United States when it comes to health issues.
The report looks at issues from smoking to obesity and high cholesterol.
The report will end up in the hands of state legislators to help them potentially direct funding and resources to certain areas.
Dr. Biblop Datta joins us to talk about the Healthy Georgia Report. Researchers at Augusta University’s Institute of Public and Preventive Health compile the annual assessment. Dr. Datta discusses how Georgia compares to other parts of the country in several health categories. Please watch this interview, then join us for The Means Report. We are on Monday afternoons at 12:30 on WJBF NewsChannel 6.
New health research at Augusta University aims impact Georgia public health
WJBF tv
2023-02-22
New health research shows Georgians are doing well compared to the rest of the southeast and in the nation in some areas. There are also areas where improvements can be made.
For the second year in a row, Augusta University has published Healthy Georgia- an extensive report on the state of Georgia’s public health.
Dr. Biplab Datta, assistant professor at Augusta University’s Institute of Public and Preventative Health, tells us that one major finding is that urban populations and younger Georgians aged 18-49 are showing higher rates of cardiovascular diseases.
“I think we need more investigation into this particular issue. Why are we seeing such low numbers of cancer prevalence when we know that cancer incidence rates are very high in Georgia?”
“That is problematic because if someone is developing some cardiometabolic conditions in this age group, they will be at a high risk for adverse cardiovascular events at an older age. So we need to focus on food habits, physical exercise and other health promoting behaviors to prevent and control obesity."
“They have a good appetite for data-driven policy changes. I think this report actually helps them in that direction. We tried to present data in a way that policymakers may find helpful in deciding on appropriate policy choices.”
Psychosocial well-being and firearm storage practices: evidence from five US states
BMJ Journals
Biplab Kumar Datta, Jennifer E. Jaremski, Aaron Johnson
2024-02-08
Objective Gun safety practices can play a pivotal role in preventing suicide and unintentional injuries involving a firearm. This study aimed to assess whether psychosocial well-being, measured by emotional support, feeling of social isolation and life satisfaction, influenced safe storage practices among individuals who had firearms in or around their home.
Methods Data are from the firearm safety module of the 2022 Behavioural Risk Factor Surveillance System survey of 11 722 individuals having firearms and living in California, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico and Ohio. Respondents were asked to identify how guns were stored in their homes including: (1) not loaded, (2) loaded but locked and (3) loaded and unlocked. Multinomial logistic regression models with controls for sociodemographic correlates assess the relative risks of certain storage measures.
Results Relative to the base outcome of not loaded, the adjusted relative risks of having firearms loaded and unlocked among individuals who usually/always felt socially isolated were 1.72 (95% CI: 1.02 to 2.88) times that of individuals who never felt socially isolated. The adjusted risks among individuals who were dissatisfied with their life were 1.82 (95% CI: 1.02 to 3.24) times that of their counterparts who were very satisfied. The adjusted risks were not statistically significant among individuals who rarely/never received needed emotional support compared with individuals who always received support.
Conclusion The results suggest a strong relationship between social isolation and life satisfaction and safe storage practices at home. Policies designed to improve psychosocial well-being, therefore, may present an important opportunity for preventing unintentional firearm injuries.
Prevalence of intellectual disability among adults born in the 1980s and 1990s in the United States
Wiley Online Library
Teal Benevides, Biplab Datta, Jen Jerneski, M. McKee
2024-01-16
Background Prevalence of intellectual disability (ID) is currently estimated through parent report on surveys of children. It is difficult to estimate the number of adults living with ID in the United States because no comprehensive survey or surveillance allows for identification. The purpose of this study was to estimate the prevalence and number of adults with ID born between 1980 and 1999 using multiple years of the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) and Census data.
Methods We concatenated the NHIS from 1997–2016 that evaluated parental response about whether a child aged 3–17 years had an ID. Using weighted survey analyses, we estimated the prevalence of ID among individuals across four birth cohorts—(1) 1980–1984, (2) 1985–1989, (3) 1990–1994, and (4) 1995–1999. The number of adults with ID was then extrapolated by applying these prevalence rates to Census population estimates (as of 1 July 2021) of respective birth cohorts.
Results Weighted prevalence of ID varied by birth cohort, sex, race and ethnicity, and US Census Bureau regions. The overall prevalence rate was 1.066 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.831–1.302] for adults born between 1980 and 1984, 0.772 (CI: 0.654–0.891) for adults born between 1985 and 1989, 0.774 (0.675–0.874) for adults born between 1990 and 1994, and 1.069 (CI: 0.898–1.240) for adults born between 1995 and 1999. Overall, we estimate that 818 564 adults with ID who were approximately 21–41 years were living in the United States as of 2021.
COVID-19 and health care related financial toxicity in the United States: Evidence from the 2022 National Health Interview Survey
American Journal of Infection Control
Biplab Datta, Steven S. Coughlin, Ishtaque Fazlul, Ajay Padey
2023-11-10
The COVID-19 pandemic has taken its toll on the health and wellbeing of individuals from almost all walks of life. Illness due to SARS-CoV-2 has brought numerous hardships to individuals and families including job loss, financial hardship, reductions in income, diminished social connections, and decreased access to healthcare. Several studies explored these issues primarily in the context of psychological resilience and mental health outcomes. Few studies examined barriers in access and utilization of health care during the pandemic, and these were conducted on special populations such as survivors of different types of cancer. Evidence on the relationship between COVID-19 and health care related financial toxicity in the general population has been limited.
Perceived Social Support and Cardiovascular Risk Among Nonelderly Adults in the United States
The American Journal of Cardiology
Biplab Datta, Steven S. Coughlin, Aneesha Gummadi, Daniel Mehrabain, Benjamin Ansa
2023-12-15
Hypertension, diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, and obesity are major risk factors of cardiovascular diseases. A recent study projected a marked surge in these cardiometabolic conditions in the United States by the year 2060, posing a challenge for cardiovascular disease management in the coming years. This study aimed to explore and quantify the relation of a key psychosocial factor, social support, with the cardiovascular risk factors among nonelderly US adults (aged 18 to 64 years). Using data on 19,827 adults from the 2021 National Health Interview Survey, we assessed whether lower level of social support was associated with higher likelihood of having cardiovascular risks. We found that for subjects who “rarely/never” received social support, the adjusted odds of having hypertension, high cholesterol, and diabetes were 1.42 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.20 to 1.67), 1.39 (95% CI 1.18 to 1.65), and 1.53 (95% CI 1.22 to 1.91) times those of subjects “always” receiving support, respectively. Further, compared with the base outcome of no CV risk, the adjusted relative risks of having 3+ cardiovascular risks for subjects “rarely/never” receiving support were 1.91 (95% CI 1.49 to 2.46) times that of those “always” receiving support. These results were robust across socioeconomic status condition sub-groups manifested by educational attainment and income. In conclusion, our findings suggest that social support may be considered as a critical part of the comprehensive efforts to mitigate the future burden of cardiovascular diseases in the United States.
Early Marriage in Adolescence and Risk of High Blood Pressure and High Blood Glucose in Adulthood: Evidence from India
Women
2022
Adolescence, the transition phase to adulthood, is a critical period for physical and psychological development. Disruptions during this period, such as getting married, could result in various adverse short- and long-term health outcomes. This study aimed to assess the differential risk of two common chronic conditions—high blood pressure and high blood glucose—in adult women (20–49 years) who were married during different stages of adolescence (10–19 years) compared to women who were married in their youth (20–24 years). Using the most recent nationally representative data from India, we separately assessed the odds in favor of having the two chronic conditions for women who were married during early (10–14 years), middle (15–17 years), and late (18–19 years) adolescence. We found that an earlier age at marriage during adolescence was associated with a higher risk of chronic conditions later in life. Women who were married during early adolescence were respectively 1.29 and 1.23 times more likely (p < 0.001) to have high blood pressure and high blood glucose compared to women who were married in their youth. These findings highlight the importance of preventing underage marriage among adolescent females to address the risk of downstream chronic health consequences as adults.
The risk of hypertension among child brides and adolescent mothers at age 20 s, 30 s, and 40 s: Evidence from India
Journal of Human Hypertension
2022
Hypertension in reproductive age women, particularly in low-and-middle income countries (LMICs) is an area that is less explored. This study assesses the risk of hypertension in relation to two critical women’s health issues in the LMICs – child marriage and adolescent childbearing. The health consequences of these issues have been primarily studied in the context of reproductive health. There is a dearth of evidence on the long-term health outcomes associated with these early life events. The current study, by linking child marriage and adolescent motherhood with hypertension in young adult and early middle-aged women, is commensurate with the body of literature that examines the link between potentially early adversity and later life risk of chronic health outcomes. Using the most recent data on 582,358 women aged 20 to 49 years from India, this study examined whether child brides and adolescent mothers at age 20 s, 30 s, and 40 s had a higher risk of having hypertension compared to women who were not married before age 18 years or did not give birth by age 19 years in respective age groups. Estimating multivariable logistic regressions, we found that child brides and adolescent mothers were about 1.2 times more likely to have hypertension later in life. The elevated risk of hypertension among child brides and adolescent mothers were evident at every age group. These results were robust after controlling for various sociodemographic, anthropometric, and behavioral characteristics as well as across urban and rural, and poor and non-poor subgroups.
Stolen childhood taking a toll at young adulthood: The higher risk of high blood pressure and high blood glucose comorbidity among child brides
PLOS Global Public Health
2022
Despite notable progress being made in preventing child marriage, a significant proportion of women worldwide are still married before reaching adulthood. Though many aspects of child marriage have been widely studied, little is known on the later life health outcomes of child brides, let alone the critical need for healthcare during adulthood. This paper examines whether child brides at a young adult age bear a greater risk of high blood pressure (HBP) and high blood glucose (HBG) comorbidity than those who were married as adults. Using nationally representative data from India, we categorized married young adult (aged 20-34 years) women in four categories: neither HBP nor HBG, HBP only, HBG only, and both HBP and HBG. We estimated multinomial logistic regressions to obtain unadjusted and adjusted relative risk ratios in favor of these mutually exclusive outcomes for the child marriage indicator. Around 0.5% of the women in our sample had high blood pressure and high blood glucose comorbidity. While the prevalence of comorbidity was 0.4% among women who were married as adults, comorbidity was 40% higher (p < 0.000) among women who were married as children. The relative risk of the comorbidity among child brides was 1.4 (95%CI: 1.2–1.7) times that of their peers who were not married as children. The findings, thus, suggest that child brides at young adult age are at greater risk of having high blood pressure and high blood glucose comorbidity. Concerted public health efforts, therefore, are necessary to improve their long-term health and wellbeing.
Inequities in routine preventive care utilization among persons with overweight/obesity in the United States: An analysis of nativity, racial and ethnic identity, and socioeconomic status
Science Direct
Biplab Kumar Datta, Stephen S. Coughlin, Ben Majeed
2023-03-13
Extant literature documented various health disparities among immigrants and racial and ethnically marginalized individuals in the United States. However, health disparities in the intersection of nativity and race are generally less visited. This cross-sectional study assessed utilization of routine preventive care among adults with overweight/obesity at the junction of their nativity, racial/ethnic identity, and socioeconomic status (i.e., income and education). Pooling data on 120,184 adults with overweight/obesity from the 2013–2018 waves of the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), we estimated modified Poisson regressions with robust standard errors to obtain adjusted prevalence rates of preventive care visit, receiving flu shot, and having blood pressure, cholesterol and blood glucose screened. We found that immigrant adults with overweight/obesity had lower rates of utilization of all five preventive care services. However, these patterns varied by racial and ethnic sub-populations. While White immigrants had comparable rates of cholesterol and blood glucose screening, they had 2.7%, 2.9%, and 14.5% lower rates of preventive care visit, blood pressure screening, and getting a flu shot respectively, compared to native-born Whites. These patterns were similar for Asian immigrants as well. Black immigrants, on the other hand, had comparable rates of getting a flu shot and blood glucose screening, and had 5.2%, 4.9%, and 4.9% lower rates of preventive care visit, blood pressure screening, and cholesterol screening respectively. Lastly, the rates of utilization among Hispanic immigrants were significantly lower (ranging from 9.2% to 20%) than those of their native-born counterparts for all five preventive care services. These rates further varied by education, income, and length of stay in the US, within the racial and ethnic sub-groups. Our findings thus suggest a complex relationship between nativity and racial/ethnic identity in relation to preventive care utilization among adults with overweight/obesity.
The role of child marriage and marital disruptions on hypertension in women - A nationally representative study from India
ScienceDirect
Ashwini Tiwari, Biplab Kumar Datta, Mohammad Rifat Haider, Murshed Jahan
2023-04-17
Child marriage is associated with negative health trajectories among women in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Marital disruptions in LMICs are also associated with adverse socioeconomic and health outcomes in women. Yet, little is known about the compounded health effects of experiencing both child marriage and marital disruptions. Using nationally representative data from India among women aged 18–49 years, we examined the effects of marital age (i.e., marriage before or after 18 years) and martial disruptions (i.e., widowed/divorced/separated) on the odds of having hypertension. Findings suggest that together, marital disruptions and child marriage increase the risk of hypertension. Specifically, women married as children and who experienced marital disruptions were 1.2 (95% CI: 1.2–1.3) times more likely to have hypertension compared to women who married as adults and currently in marriage. Additionally, among women married as children, those who experienced martial disruptions had a higher risk (AOR = 1.1, 95% CI: 1.0–1.2) of hypertension compared to their currently married peers. These results suggest public health strategies must consider contextual effects of being widowed/divorced/separated among women who were married as children. Simultaneously, prevention initiatives should be strengthened to reduce the incidence of child marriage in LMICs and associated downstream health consequences.
Role of perceived social support in COVID-19 vaccine uptake among U.S. adults
ScienceDirect
Biplab Kumar Datta, Jennifer Jaremski, Benjamin Ansa, Lorraine Odhiambo, K.M. Monirul Islam, J Aaron Johnson
2023-04-27
Background Vaccine uptake concerns in the Unites States were at the forefront of public health discussions during the COVID-19 pandemic. By the end of 2022, approximately 80% of the U.S. population was vaccinated against the virus. This study examined the relationship between perceived social support and COVID-19 vaccine uptake among U.S. adults.
Methods Using nationally representative cross-sectional data on 21,107 adults from the 2021 National Health Interview Survey, we assessed the COVID-19 vaccination rates across individuals with strong, some, and weak levels of social support. Multivariable logistic regression models were estimated to obtain the odds of being vaccinated in adults with different levels of perceived social support for the full sample and sub-samples of age groups.
Results We found that compared to adults with perceived strong social support, adults with weak social support were 21.1% less likely to be vaccinated against COVID-19. Apart from the age 18-24 years group, the lower likelihood of being vaccinated for adults with weak social support was evident in age 24-49 years (AOR=0.66, 95% CI: 0.52-0.85), age 50-64 years (AOR=0.67, 95% CI: 0.50-0.90), and age 65+ years (AOR=0.56, 95% CI: 0.41-0.75) groups.
Conclusions These findings are consistent with a broader literature indicating that social support increases the likelihood of healthy behaviors and decreases risky behaviors. Interventions designed to improve the perception of social support, particularly among those at high risk of mortality from COVID-19 may be a promising tactic for increasing COVID-19 vaccine uptake.
Relationship between social support, life satisfaction, and smoking status among US adults with cardiovascular risks
Taylor & Francis Online
Biplab Kumar Datta, Steven S. Coughlin, Jiheyne
2023-09-28
Social support and life satisfaction are important determinants of health behaviors and health outcomes. Cigarette smoking, a health risk behavior that increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases, is deemed to have association with perceived social support and life satisfaction. This study assessed this relationship among US adults with one or more cardiovascular (CV) risks, namely, hypertension, high cholesterol, diabetes, and obesity. Using nationally representative data from the 2021 National Health Interview Survey on 17,557 adults with at least one CV risk, we examined whether individuals with low life-satisfaction and weak social-support were more likely to smoke compared to those with high life-satisfaction and strong social support. At different levels of social support (strong and weak), the odds of smoking were higher among individuals with low level of life satisfaction. Likewise, at different levels of life satisfaction (high, medium, and low), smoking prevalence was the highest among individuals with weak social support. Estimates of the multivariable logistic regressions, with controls for various demographic and socioeconomic correlates, suggested that the adjusted odds of current smoking for individuals with low life-satisfaction and weak social-support were 3.07 (95% CI: 2.34, 4.03) times that of individuals with high life-satisfaction and strong social support. This association was robust across all four CV risk factors, and across different sociodemographic (i.e., sex, age, race and ethnicity) and socioeconomic (i.e., income, urban/rural residence) sub-groups.
