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The objective of this study is to investigate the prevalence of amphetamine use and cigarette smoking and their relationships with suicidal behaviors (thoughts, plans, and attempts) among adolescents in Liberia. The analysis included 2744 school-going adolescents who participated in Liberia's 2017 Global School-based Student Health Survey (GSHS). The study used descriptive statistics to evaluate prevalence estimates, and multivariable logistic regression was employed to determine how amphetamine use and cigarette smoking predict suicide behaviors. Prevalence of amphetamine use and cigarette smoking was 7.7% and 9.9%, respectively. In multivariable logistic regression, amphetamine use and cigarette smoking independently increase the odds of suicide behaviors (suicide ideation, suicide plan, and suicide attempt) after controlling for other factors. High prevalent rates of substance use and their association with suicidal behaviors reported in this study highlight the need for these countries to target appropriate substance use interventions to curb the rates of suicide among adolescents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

Background: Cigarette smokers have elevated cardiovascular risk factors, which contributes significantly to mortality. Although social media is a potential avenue to deliver smoking interventions, its role in health promotion among smokers remains relatively unexplored.Objective: To examine the uptake and impact of health-related social media use in cigarette smokers.Methods: Using data from the 2017–2020 Health Information National Trends Survey, we evaluated differences in health-related social media use between smokers and nonsmokers. Multivariable logistic regression was performed to examine the association between social media use and positive health behaviors.Results: We included 1863 current smokers and 13,560 nonsmokers; Most participants were women (51.0%), White (64.6%), and 49.2% were aged ≥50 years. Smokers who used ≥1 social media site for health-related purposes in the past year were significantly more likely to meet the guideline recommendations for: (i) weekly physical activity (AOR 2.00, 95% CI 1.23–3.24), (ii) daily vegetable intake (AOR 2.48, 95% CI 1.10–5.59), and (iii) weekly strength training (AOR 1.80, 95% CI 1.10–2.94). However, the odds of reporting intentions to quit smoking (AOR 1.81, 95% CI 0.98–3.34) and attempts at smoking cessation (AOR 1.68, 95% CI 0.90–3.12) did not differ by health-related social media use.Conclusion: Smokers use social media for health-related purposes at comparable rates to nonsmokers. While our findings indicate that these platforms present a novel opportunity for health promotion among smokers, future research exploring the utility of social media in smoking cessation is crucial. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

Given existing barriers to a timely autism diagnosis, this study compares the efficiency and equity of diagnoses conducted in-person vs. telehealth in a developmental behavioral pediatrics setting. The transition to telehealth was prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Eleven months of clinic data in electronic medical records were retrospectively analyzed for children diagnosed with autism in-person (N = 71) vs. telehealth (N = 45). Time to autism diagnosis, patient demographics, and deferred diagnoses did not significantly differ across visit types. However, privately insured patients and families living farther from the clinic had a longer time to diagnosis via telehealth vs. in-person. Results of this exploratory study highlight the feasibility of telehealth evaluations for autism and which families may benefit from additional support to ensure a timely diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...