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Our analyses aimed to assess health status and critical needs of caregivers of persons with dementia (PWD) during the COVID-19 pandemic by gender. Between March 2021 and August 2021, respondents (n = 267) were recruited from an Alzheimer's disease (AD) listserv at an US academic center to complete a questionnaire to capture sociodemographic data, caregiving characteristics, health status, status of COVID-19 testing, and COVID-19 preventative practices during the pandemic. Women caregivers reported needing assistance with caregiving responsibilities, whereas men caregivers needed assistance with health and social resources. More men caregivers also reported psychological distress compared to women caregivers. Our findings indicated significant differences in the resources needed and psychological distress of women and men who cared for PWD during the COVID-19 pandemic. The development of recommendations and resources with both men and women caregivers in mind may be beneficial to support informal caregivers during emergency situations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite efforts to diversify research and health programs, Black American men remain a “hard-to-reach” population while collectively suffering from some of the worst health outcomes in the United States. Faith- and community-based approaches have shown potential to engage Black Americans in health promotion and health research activities. The purpose of this article is to examine health research participation and trust in research among a sample of Black American men in rural North Carolina who attended a community-based health symposium, culturally tailored for Black American men (n = 112). A cross-sectional survey was administered among men to learn about health status, health concerns, and perception of health research. Among 106 men who completed the survey, most reported no prior participation in health research (68.87%), but almost a third of men reported interest in participating in health research. No significant differences in trust in research was found based on interest in research participation (interested in research participation, not interested in research participation, no response), presenting an opportunity to increase the trustworthiness of medical institutions and build relationships with this population. These findings will inform future research and health programming for Black American men in rural locations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There is a higher prevalence of substance use disorder (SUD) among justice-involved children (JIC). It is critical to ensure that JIC who report current use are referred for SUD assessment and potentially life-saving treatment services. Prior research suggests that certain minoritized groups may be less likely to have ever been referred for screening, and research on intersectionality suggests that these disparities may be exacerbated for racially minoritized females.Methods: Multivariate logistic regression and interaction effects were employed to analyze longitudinal data from the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice on 12,128 JIC who reported SU in the past 6 months. The main and interaction effects of race and gender on the odds of having a history of reporting a referral to SUD assessment were tested. The primary outcome variable was a self-reported measure of a youth's history of being referred to service. The control variables included substance type, household income, current SU problems, history of mental health problems, number of misdemeanors, risk to recidivate, and age at first offense.Results: There were no significant differences in the likelihood of having a history of reporting being referred to SUD assessment between White females, White males, and Latinx females. However, Black females (AOR = 0.62), Latinx males (AOR = 0.71), and Black males (AOR = 0.65) were significantly less likely to self-report having a history of being referred than White males. Black females were 34% likely to report a history of being referred as White males and females.Conclusion: In this sample, Black females who use substances were substantially less likely to self-report being referred to SUD screening. According to officials, FLDJJ has solid process to ensure referrals are made. Therefore, the results are likely to be due to external factors and alternative explanations. Community leaders and stakeholders may consider culturally relevant and gender-sensitive programs to expand access to services for minoritized adolescents in their communities, schools, and other institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Non-medical use of prescription drugs is a major public health concern in the United States. Prescription opioids and sedatives are among the most widely abused drugs and their combined use can be lethal. Increasingly rigid prescribing guidelines may contribute to the changing context of opioid use and increase drug diversion.Objective: To examine gender differences in diversion of prescription opioids and sedatives among non-medical prescription opioid and sedative polysubstance users. We hypothesize that men will be more likely than women to engage in incoming diversion.Methods: Data from the Prescription Drug Abuse, Misuse, and Dependence Study, a cross-sectional study focused on prescription drug users, were analyzed. Non-medical use was defined as use of a drug that was not prescribed or use in a way other than prescribed. Individuals who reported past 12-month non-medical opioid and sedative use were included; diversion was defined as incoming (obtaining drugs from a source other than a health professional) and outgoing (giving away/selling/trading prescription drugs).Results: Among the 198 polysubstance users, 41.4% were female. Men were 2.85 times as likely as women to report incoming diversion (95% CI: 1.21-6.72). Women were more likely to obtain opioids from a healthcare professional; men were more likely to obtain sedatives from a roommate, coworker, or friend. Over half of men and women reported outgoing diversion opioids or sedatives.Conclusion: Drug diversion highlights an important point of intervention. Current prevention efforts that target prescribers should be expanded to include users and diversion activities; these interventions should be gender-specific. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study was to investigate attitudes toward brain donation and perceptions of medical research that influence brain donation among African Americans. Cross-sectional surveys were administered to African American community members (n = 227). Findings indicate that only 27% of respondents were willing to donate their brain. As medical mistrust was not found to be a significant barrier to research participation, there may be opportunity to increase brain donation by providing information about Alzheimer's disease and brain donation to potential donors and their families so that informed decisions about participating in research can be made. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Existing evidence suggest that cannabis may impair driving and is the most prevalent drug identified in drivers. Males exhibit an excess risk for driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol compared to females. We assessed sex differences in the association between the reason for cannabis use (medical, recreational, or both) and driving under the influence of cannabis (DUIC).Methods: A sample of 17,405 past 12-month cannabis users (18 + years old) were analyzed from the 2016-17 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Multivariable logistic regression was used to assess the interaction of sex and reason for cannabis use on DUIC using predicted probabilities.Results: Among cannabis users in the sample, 88.1% used for recreational reasons, 7.8% used for medical reasons, and 4.1% used for medical and recreational reasons. The probability of DUIC was as low as 20% among female medical only users, and as high as 40% among male combined medical and recreational users. Females showed more similar probabilities of DUIC across reasons of use (range 20% to 25%s) than males (range 28% to 40%). The difference in the probability of DUIC between combined medical and recreational users and recreational only users was significantly greater among males than among females (Δ 0.1, p < 0.05).Conclusions: The observed effects of sex and reasons for cannabis use on DUIC suggests a need for targeted educational interventions, particularly among males reporting combined medical and recreational marijuana use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Non-medical use, especially non-oral use, of prescription stimulants is a public health concern. This study analyzed data from the National Monitoring of Adolescent Prescription Stimulants Study (N-MAPSS). Users (n = 723) were categorized as oral medical only users (n = 330, 45.6%), any oral non-medical users (n = 270, 37.3%), and any non-oral users (n = 123, 17.0%). The associations between patterns of stimulant use and risk factors were examined using logistic regression. Of the 123 any non-oral users, 79 reported using stimulants intranasally and orally, which was the most prevalent pattern of non-oral use. Among any non-oral users, the most common source of stimulants was from school (63.4%). Non-oral users primarily used stimulants to get high (74.4%) compared to 27.1% among other users. Negative consequences significantly associated with any non-oral use but not with oral non-medical use included needing stimulants to "feel ok," having trouble with teachers, bosses or friends due to stimulant use, and having anxiety and depression symptoms. In this study, non-oral use of prescription stimulants was associated with additional risks of adverse mental health outcomes compared to medical only use and other forms of non-medical use. Stimulant non-oral use interventions should emphasize the risks of intranasal use of stimulants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]