Research News Roundup: May 6, 2021

Journal: Tobacco Induced Diseases, 2021,
doi: 10.18332/tid/133874

Authors: Bekir Kaplan, Rajeev Cherukupall, Kevin Welding, Ryan D. Kennedy & Joanna E. Cohen

Abstract:
Introduction: Past 30-day e-cigarette use increased by 78% among high school students from 2017 to 2018, an increase attributable to pod-style devices. JUUL Labs (JUUL) insists they do not market their product to teenagers. We created several scenarios to estimate the percentages of JUUL’s net revenue from adults and youth in the US in 2018.

Methods: We used the number of youth (aged 12–17 years) and adults (aged ≥18 years) who reported using JUUL in the nationally representative Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study wave 4 (Dec 2016–Jan 2018) to estimate the youth proportion of JUUL users. As a sensitivity analysis, we also used data from the nationally representative Truth Longitudinal Cohort (TLC) study to estimate the youth proportion of JUUL users. Based on this percentage, we then applied several scenarios to estimate JUUL’s net revenue from youth in the US in 2018.

Results: From the PATH Study, 31% of JUUL users were youth (aged 12–17 years). In the TLC study, 30% of current JUUL users were aged 15–17 years. Given that JUUL’s net revenue was $1.3 billion in 2018, we calculated that JUUL made between $130 million and $650 million of its net revenue from youth, depending on consumption scenarios.

Conclusions: A substantial proportion of JUUL’s profits in 2018 were a result of use by youth. It could be required that all e-cigarette companies actively ensure that use by youth is below a pre-determined small fraction of their sales, requiring that a high penalty be paid by those that fail to do so.

To read the full text of the article, please visit the publisher’s website.

Journal: BMC Public Health, 2021,
doi: 10.1186/s12889-021-10668-1

Authors: Bridget Freisthler, Kathryn Maguire-Jack, Susan Yoon, Elinam Dellor & Jennifer Price Wolf

Abstract:
Background: Across Ohio, parental substance abuse has contributed to a marked increase in the number of children in foster care. Children exposed to parental substance use have a higher likelihood of physical abuse and neglect, and consequently a variety of physical, psychological and cognitive problems. The Enhancing Permanency in Children and Families (EPIC) program is a collaborative effort between the Ohio State University College of Social Work, two county offices of the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, two juvenile courts and local behavioral health agencies. The goal of EPIC is to use three evidence-based and evidence-informed practices to reduce abusive and neglectful parenting, reduce addiction severity in parents, and improve permanency outcomes for families involved with the child welfare system due to substance abuse.

Methods: EPIC is a quasi-experimental study. Under the program, child welfare-involved adults who screen positive for substances are matched with a peer recovery supporter. Participants are also incentivized to participate in family treatment drug court, medications for opioid use disorders and home-based parenting supports. Participating adults (N = 250) are matched with comparison groups from counties participating in a separate intervention (Ohio START) and to those receiving treatment as usual, resulting in a final sample of 750 adults. Primary outcomes including addiction severity, child trauma symptoms, resilience, and attachment are assessed at baseline and at program completion. Additional outcomes include timely access to treatment services, length of placement in out-of-home care and recidivism into the child welfare system.

Discussion: This intervention formalizes cross-system collaboration between child welfare, behavioral health and juvenile courts to support families affected by addiction. The use of three evidence-based or evidence-informed strategies presents the opportunity to determine specific strategies that are most effective for reducing addiction severity. Lastly, the intervention combines several sources of funding to bolster sustainability beyond the life of the Regional Partnership Grant (RPG).

To read the full text of the article, please visit the publisher’s website.

Journal: Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention, and Policy, 2021,
doi: 10.1186/s13011-021-00356-z

Authors: Michelle A. Papp, Jared A. Leff, Sean M. Murphy, April Yang, Heidi M. Crane, Lisa R. Metsch, Carlos Del Rio, Daniel J. Feaster, Josiah D. Rich, Bruce R. Schackman & Kathryn E. McCollister

Abstract:
Background: Standardization and harmonization of healthcare resource utilization data can improve evaluations of the economic impact of treating people with substance use disorder (SUD), including reductions in use of expensive hospital and emergency department (ED) services, and can ensure consistency with current cost-effectiveness and cost-benefit analysis guidelines.

Methods: We examined self-reported healthcare and other resource utilization data collected at baseline from three National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)-funded Seek, Test, Treat, and Retain intervention studies of individuals living with/at risk for HIV with SUD. Costs were calculated by multiplying mean healthcare resource utilization measures by monetary conversion factors reflecting cost per unit of care. We normalized baseline recall timeframes to past 30 days and evaluated for missing data.

Results: We identified measures that are feasible and appropriate for estimating healthcare sector costs including ED visits, inpatient hospital and residential facility stays, and outpatient encounters. We also identified two self-reported measures to inform societal costs (days experiencing SUD problems, participant spending on substances). Missingness was 8% or less for all study measures and was lower for single questions measuring utilization in a recall period.

Conclusions: We recommend including measures representing units of service with specific recall periods (e.g., 6 months vs. lifetime), and collecting healthcare resource utilization data using single-question measures to reduce missingness.

To read the full text of the article, please visit the publisher’s website.