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2. Analysis of an In-School Mental Health Services Model for K-12 Students Requiring Intensive Clinical Support: A White Paper Report on Tier 3 School-Based Mental Health Programming
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Dettmer, Amanda M.
- Abstract
Emotional, behavioral, and mental health challenges make it difficult for many children and adolescents to engage and succeed at school. Research indicates that at least 20% of all children and adolescents have been diagnosed with one more mental health disorders. Behavioral problems, anxiety, and depression are the most diagnosed mental health issues, and they often co-occur. Moreover, these conditions are being diagnosed at increasingly younger ages. In the past several years there has been a rise in the number of adolescents and young adults with serious mental health issues such as major depression and suicidal ideation, and the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated mental health problems for children and adolescents. Schools offer promise for providing intensive clinical support to the most at-risk students, and schools are necessary environment to explore the implementation of multi-modal youth mental health services. This paper provides an analysis of an intensive, in-school mental health services model developed and implemented by Effective School Solutions (ESS), a New Jersey based provider of high acuity school based mental health services for K-12 students. We analyze this multi-modal model for its effectiveness in improving educational outcomes for over 3,000 students identified as requiring intensive clinical mental health support across the 2021-22 school year. This analysis reveals that those students receiving High- versus Low-fidelity programming (i.e., multiple sessions per week for at least half of the school year versus for less than half of the school year) had better educational outcomes. Students receiving High-fidelity programming had greater improvements in grade point average (GPA) and greater reductions in absences across the school year. A higher number of in-school clinical sessions per week significantly predicted a greater increase in GPA and a greater reduction in total disciplinary incidents (including out of school suspensions) across the school year. This report provides initial promising evidence that in-school intensive mental health clinical services yield positive effects on students' educational outcomes. Though future research is needed to validate and extend these findings, schools may consider implementing such services onsite to meet students where they are and to optimize students' mental, behavioral, and educational well-being. [This white paper report was published by the Yale Child Study Center."]
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- 2023
3. Policy and Planning in the Midst of Crisis: Supporting Student Learning during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Working Paper
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Stanford University, Policy Analysis for California Education (PACE), Hurtt, Alexandria, Reed, Sherrie, Dykeman, Kramer, and Luu, Justin
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As the COVID-19 crisis disrupted schooling, recovery efforts to ensure educational continuity in California included the adoption of Senate Bill 98, which mandated local educational agencies (LEAs) to complete Learning Continuity and Attendance Plans (LCPs). These plans act as critical snapshots of sensemaking in the midst of crisis; however, their details have yet to be explored statewide, concealing the potential trends that arise in local planning when traditional schooling is disrupted by crisis. Through a multiphase, mixed methods approach, this study examines the legislative requirements of an educational policy that orchestrated large-scale local planning. Results suggest that, during a crisis, equity is centered in both policy and the plans of public school districts, threaded through accessibility to instruction as well as academic and social-emotional supports. [For the Policy Brief, see ED624610.]
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- 2022
4. A Commentary on Process Improvements to Reduce Manual Tasks and Paper at Covid-19 Mass Vaccination Points of Dispensing in California.
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Yan EG and Arzt NH
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- California, Child, Humans, Vaccination, COVID-19 prevention & control, Mass Vaccination
- Abstract
My Turn is software used to manage several Covid-19 mass vaccination campaigns in California. The objective of this article is to describe the use of My Turn at two points of dispensing in California and comment on process improvements to reduce manual tasks of six identified processes of vaccination-registration, scheduling, administration, documentation, follow-up, and digital vaccine record-and paper. We reviewed publicly available documents of My Turn and patients vaccinated at George R. Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco and Oakland Coliseum Community Vaccination Clinic. For publicly available documents of My Turn, we examined videos of My Turn on YouTube, and documentation from EZIZ, the website for the California Vaccines for Children Program. For patients, we examined publicly available vaccination record cards on Instagram and Google. At the George R. Moscone Convention Center, 329,608 vaccines doses were given. At the Oakland Coliseum Community Vaccination Clinic, more than 500,000 vaccine doses were administered. The use of My Turn can be used to reduce manual tasks and paper for mass vaccinating patients against Covid-19., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)
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- 2022
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5. Transformational Coaching for Equity to Impact Teacher Efficacy in Foundational Reading Instruction for School Improvement
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Walsh, Nichole R., McCormick, Alison, and Stoll, Aimee
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This paper highlights findings from two aspects of a case study on the partnership between one mid-size California public school district and a private university sponsored literacy project to cultivate teacher efficacy and reignite early student literacy during and after COVID-19 contexts. Grounded in teacher efficacy in literacy instruction and transformational coaching for equity, a longitudinal pre-mid-post cohort mixed methods self-report survey and an intervention-inactive control single-phase mixed-methods survey were used to understand how supporting teacher-leader coaches could benefit teacher efficacy in foundational reading instruction as well as impact transformational coaching overtime for increased student foundational reading success for school improvement.
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- 2023
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6. Elementary Mathematics Curriculum: State Policy, COVID-19, and Teachers' Control
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Mona Baniahmadi, Bima Sapkota, and Amy M. Olson
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In the U.S., state guidance to schools in response to the COVID-19 pandemic was politicized. We used state-level political affiliation to explore whether access to curricular resources differed pre-pandemic or during pandemic remote teaching and teachers' reported control over curricular resources during pandemic teaching. We found that pre-pandemic the percentage of teachers in Republican states reported higher levels of resources overall, and use of core and teacher-created curricular resources in particular. They also reported having greater control over their curricular decision-making during the pandemic. There were no state-level differences in teachers' level of preparation for pandemic teaching, but teachers in Democrat states reported a greater proportion of their students had sufficient resources for online learning. We discuss the implications of these findings in terms of teacher control and state policies. [For the complete proceedings, see ED657822.]
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- 2023
7. Communities of Practice: Aligning K-12 and Postsecondary Education
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State Higher Education Executive Officers (SHEEO), Colorado, Jessica, Klein, Carrie, and Whitfield, Christina
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The State Higher Education Executive Officers Association's (SHEEO) "Communities of Practice" project builds upon SHEEO's ongoing efforts to measure the capacity and effective use of state postsecondary data systems and provides states with opportunities to develop solutions to common issues with those systems. The sixth Community of Practice convening, "Aligning K-12 and Postsecondary Education," was held December 7-8, 2021, in Denver, Colorado. The two-day meeting included representatives from 13 states: Delaware, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Missouri, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Utah, and Washington. Teams included representatives from SHEEO agencies, state K-12 agencies, P-20 partnership organizations, state longitudinal data systems, and others. The Community of Practice also addressed the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on student transitions and how state data systems can be used to promote equitable outcomes for low-income students and students of color. During the convening, teams explored practical uses of state P-20 data for improving college access, equity, and success and how state postsecondary data can better inform the K-12 to postsecondary pipeline. This white paper highlights key themes and findings of the convening, including challenges and lessons learned from the participating state teams and suggestions of topics for further consideration. Case studies describing ongoing efforts in Georgia and Pennsylvania are included in the appendices. Presentations from the December 2021 convening are available on SHEEO's state postsecondary data website.
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- 2022
8. Practical Technological Tools for Teaching and Connecting with Adolescent English Learners in the Post-Pandemic Age
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Coronel, Jacobo
- Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic ushered in a new era of technological tools that were used by language teachers to develop their students' English language skills. As a result of the sudden shift to online instruction, teachers at the Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics Academy middle school had little time to prepare and had limited resources to deliver an innovative curriculum. However, when schools returned to in-person learning and when COVID-19 relief funds were allocated to the school site to purchase new technology, these teachers gained access to more technology in their classrooms than ever before. This paper describes how teachers at this site leveraged the technological tools to achieve two goals: making the curriculum comprehensible and engaging for English learners to raise assessment scores; and using the technology to connect with their students. To achieve these goals, teachers were taught how to coalesce their tools in three ways: translating texts; digitizing their paper-based lessons; and "mirroring" input from their tablet computers to a larger screen. During an eight-week training, teachers implemented these innovations in their classrooms, reported their successes and reflected on their practice. This paper describes how four teachers used these tools inside their classrooms for innovative English language instruction.
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- 2023
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9. Wearing Leadership Bi-Focals in the Post-Pandemic University
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Lieberman, Devorah
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Purpose: This paper aims to provide insight for higher education leaders about how to navigate the immediate needs and long-term needs of an institution. COVID-19 disrupted higher education in unprecedented ways, but the post-pandemic world is proving to be just as challenging--if not more so. Presidents and higher education leaders must be nimble, prepared and multi-skilled to address immediate challenges while making the tough strategic decisions to ensure that colleges and universities remain viable and sustainable for generations to come. Design/methodology/approach: This discussion focuses on the dual vision and the leadership skills that are essential in addressing both the short-term and long-term threats to colleges and universities resulting from the COVID pandemic (wearing leadership bi-focals). It analyzes the post-pandemic trends that are adversely impacting the future of higher education and details how the President is guiding her team at the University of La Verne through this generational crisis--a process she describes as wearing leadership bifocals. Findings: What began as a sudden global health crisis has shaken institutions of higher education to their core, challenging some of the very foundations upon which they were built. By adopting a bifocal strategy, the University of La Verne can more clearly assess the challenges it faces in the post-pandemic world and the new opportunities around the corner. While this approach ultimately is a team effort, effective implementation requires leadership from the top. The entire campus community is depending on the President to inspire and lead. Research limitations/implications: Much has been written about leadership during these troubling times in higher education. This paper is intended hoped to offer a best-practices approach for college and university Presidents in engaging their campus communities in addressing the short- and long-term challenges facing them. Originality/value: The author's lengthy experience as a University president and Provost--along with a focus on communication skills--provides a unique framework for addressing the complex challenges confronting higher education.
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- 2023
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10. 'I've a Feeling We're Not in Kansas Anymore': Negotiating the New Landscape of Study Abroad
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Nyitray, Vivian-Lee
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The COVID-19 pandemic has wrought changes to the landscape of education abroad. This paper reviews some of the operational gaps exposed by the pandemic circumstances and then advocates for enhanced notions of communication, collaboration, and community needed to embrace change and close prior gaps. The paper concludes that developing a nuanced appreciation for the academic and personal realities of today's students will facilitate increased access to the benefits of study abroad, thereby encouraging cross-cultural awareness and second language learning.
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- 2023
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11. Understanding K-12 Education since the Pandemic Onset: The Interactive K-12 Enrollment Explorer. A Policymaker Tool from the COVID-19 and Equity in Education Initiative (CEE). COVID-19 and Equity in Education: Longitudinal Deep Dive
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American Institutes for Research (AIR)
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Although public K-12 student enrollment dropped by 3% nationwide in 2020-21, the school year that marks the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the patterns differ for specific areas and types of schools. This paper describes the COVID-19 and Equity in Education (CEE) Enrollment Explorer tool, which was developed to help policymakers and educators examine enrollment trends by a range of school, community, and student characteristics. The CEE Enrollment Explorer allows users to examine state, regional-, district-, community-, and school-level shifts in student enrollment before and after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic (March 2020) in selected states. The interactive CEE Enrollment Explorer aims to paint a more detailed picture of public K-12 student enrollment.
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- 2023
12. Participatory Writing in the Remote ESOL Classroom Space: Critical Learnings from a Pandemic
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Kelly Metz-Matthews and Michele McConnell
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This paper explores the ways ESOL writing instructors implement and assess participatory writing practices in the classroom using digital technologies during the COVID-19 pandemic. Participatory writing practices are largely sociocultural in nature and thereby resist the notion of standardized and individualized practices to focus on co-creating a shared culture around writing (Jenkins et al., 2016). In other words, they require that students voluntarily enculturate themselves into broader, co-created discourse communities (Johns, 1997). Participatory writing practices and any subsequent assessment of them are complicated by inequitable access to and varying levels of comfort with educational and other digital technologies--a fact which is particularly salient considering that a substantial majority of ESOL courses in California shifted to remote instruction in early 2020. Using several remotely taught post-secondary ESOL writing courses in California as critical entry points for this work, we examine our collective understanding of participation in light of the shift to remote teaching and learning while also pushing back against traditional western notions of participatory writing implementation and assessment to offer a more expansive and inclusive model in which remote students are encouraged to go beyond "pseudotransactional" forms of collaboration (Wardle & Downs, 2020). With these remote ESOL writing courses as examples, we argue that there are innate challenges to supporting students in gaining a new language through participatory writing practices while simultaneously grappling with new technologies and remote learning, but we also suggest that it can be accomplished given appropriate training, tools, and attention to power dynamics.
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- 2023
13. Shifts in STEM Student Perceptions of Online Classes across 18 Months
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Yunfei Hou, Amir Ghasemkhani, Hani Aldirawi, Miranda McIntyre, and Montgomery Van Wart
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Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Computer Science and STEM-related fields were among the most resistant to online courses. This is because of a perception of the need for more hands-on instruction with labs, clinicals, field studies, etc. Additionally, many STEM students had perceptions based on limited experience of an online STEM course. Therefore, investigating how the pandemic affected students' perceptions over time is very important. This study investigates the evolution of student perceptions after one and a half years relative to synchronous courses, asynchronous courses, overall satisfaction with online courses, and lab and project-based courses. Our analysis is based on two surveys conducted in the Spring 2020 and Spring 2021 terms, i.e., the first and last semesters that the university converted to a fully online mode. We hypothesize why there were significant empirical shifts in some areas and not in others, and make recommendations based on the qualitative student responses relative to best, acceptable, and poor practices. Our main findings include: (1) Students' perceptions of online classes have improved but are far from equivalent for a lot of the students. (2) Lab resources have improved a great deal, but lab experiences have only improved modestly. (3) Although students' preference between synchronous and asynchronous online modalities were evenly divided, it did not significantly affect students' perception of their learning experience. (4) Grading policies have left many students anxious and confused. Recommendations are provided at the end of the paper.
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- 2024
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14. The Impact of Excused Withdrawals on Throughput, with a Focus on Transfer-Level Math. AB 705 Implementation Report
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RP Group, Hayward, Craig, and Newell, Mallory
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The COVID-19 pandemic required that virtually all in-person instruction move suddenly to an online format. Given the unprecedented nature of this disruption, the California Community Colleges (CCC) issued an emergency regulation allowing all students to drop spring 2020 courses without incurring a withdrawal or "W" notation on their transcripts. Instead, they received an Excused Withdrawal or "EW" notation, which shields students from possible negative repercussions of a W notation on their transcript. The EW is not factored into academic progress calculations, and it is treated as if the student never enrolled in the course. However, an EW still indicates an unsuccessful attempt to complete a class, and a student who receives this notation will need to retake the course in a future term, if the course is required to fulfill their educational goal. The Multiple Measures Assessment Project (MMAP) historically included EW notations as indicators of non-successful course attempts in the calculation of throughput and course success in our research papers, within the California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office (CCCCO) Gateway Completion Transfer-Level Dashboard, 2 and AB 705 compliance reporting templates. Given this changing context, MMAP examined how including or excluding EWs impacted the calculations of students' throughput in transfer-level English and math courses. Further, some educators are concerned about how this policy shift will specifically influence the proportion of students receiving an EW in a transfer-level math course, and how students' increased use of EWs may affect success and throughput rates within math pathways. In turn, the authors additionally examined the distribution of non-passing grades of students in their first gateway math course over time to shed light on the emerging impact of EWs on math throughput. This report summarizes these results for system-level leaders and college educators to support decision-making about equitable placement and completion in the CCC system.
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- 2022
15. From Policy to Plans: Supporting Students during COVID-19
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Stanford University, Policy Analysis for California Education (PACE), Hurtt, Alexandria, Reed, Sherrie, Dykeman, Kramer, and Luu, Justin
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In the wake of COVID-19, the California legislature mandated that local educational agencies (LEAs) develop detailed Learning Continuity and Attendance Plans (LCPs) to address student learning and progress during the 2020-21 academic year. This brief summarizes results of an analysis of nearly 1,000 LCPs from public school districts across the state to understand how they intended to support students in critical areas like instruction, technology, assessment, attendance, and well-being. Overall, districts planned to provide technology, assess student learning, employ tiered levels of support, and prioritize services for special student populations. However, the practices described in the plans varied across districts, with the most notable differences between urban and rural areas. This analysis exposes broader opportunities for wide-scale reform in both education policymaking and implementation accountability postpandemic. [For the Working Paper, see ED624611.]
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- 2022
16. 'The Forgotten Ones' -- The Economic Well-Being of Early Educators during COVID-19: Findings from the 2020 California Early Care and Education Workforce Study. Research Brief
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University of California, Berkeley. Center for the Study of Child Care Employment, Powell, Anna, Chávez, Raúl, Austin, Lea, Montoya, Elena, Kim, Yoonjeon, and Copeman Petig, Abby
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This report provides a closer look at the well-being of the early care and education (ECE) workforce in California, using data collected by the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment (CSCCE) through the 2020 California Early Care and Education Workforce Study. For decades, low levels of public investment in this sector have kept the ECE workforce--largely women of color and immigrant women--in a grim financial bind. During the first year of the pandemic, the majority of early educators continued to work in person--risking their health and that of their families--while K-12 schools closed for distance learning. This report reveals new details on the economic realities of life as an early educator during the COVID-19 public health crisis. [Additional funding for this paper was provided by the TIME'S UP Foundation and the Blue Shield of California Foundation.]
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- 2022
17. Examining the Policies and Priorities of the U.S. Department of Education. Hearing before the Committee on Education and Labor. U.S. House of Representatives, One Hundred Seventeenth Congress, First Session (June 24, 2021). Serial No. 117-22
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US House of Representatives. Committee on Education and Labor
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The Committee on Education and Labor met to hear testimony on "Examining the Policies and Priorities of the United States Department of Education." The U.S. Department of Education was making a budget request for Fiscal Year 2022 and the Committee wanted to examine the Department's priorities to support students, educators, and communities. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Committee's hearing room was closed and it was conducted via Zoom. Opening statements were presented by: (1) Honorable Robert C. Scott, Chairman, Committee on Education and Labor; and (2) Honorable Virginia Foxx, Ranking Member, a Representative in Congress from the State of North Carolina. The following witness presented a statement: (1) Miguel Cardona, Secretary, U.S. Department of Education. Additional material was submitted by members of the Committee including (1) articles; (2) letters; (3) questions submitted for the record; and (4) responses to questions submitted for the record by Secretary Cardona.
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- 2022
18. Rising to the Challenge: The Future of Higher Education Post COVID-19. Hearing before the Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Investment of the Committee on Education and Labor. U.S. House of Representatives, One Hundred Seventeenth Congress, First Session (March 17, 2021). Serial No. 117-2
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US House of Representatives. Committee on Education and Labor
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This document records testimony from a hearing before the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education that was held to discuss the future of higher education post COVID-19. Member statements were presented by: (1) Honorable Frederica S. Wilson, Chairwoman, Subcommittee on Education and Workforce Investment; and (2) Honorable Gregory F. Murphy, Ranking Member, Subcommittee on Education and Workforce Investment. Witness statements were presented by: (1) Lindsey M. Burke, Director, Center for Education Policy, and Mark A. Kolokotrones Fellow in Education, The Heritage Foundation, Washington, DC; (2) Eloy Ortiz Oakley, Chancellor, California Community Colleges, Sacramento, California; (3) Keith Thornton, Student, Florida International University, Miami, Florida; and (4) Daniel A. Zibel, Vice President and Chief Counsel, National Student Legal Defense Network, Washington, DC. Additional submissions include: (1) Honorable Suzanne Bonamici, a Representative in Congress from the State of Oregon: Report dated May 19, 2020 from the Brookings Institution, "Commercials for College? Advertising in Higher Education"; (2) Honorable Mondaire Jones, a Representative in Congress from the State of New York: Report dated October, 2020 from National Student Legal Defense, "Protection and the Unseen: Holding Executives Personally Liable under the Higher Eduction Act"; (3) Honorable Teresa Leger Fernandez, a Representative in Congress from the State of New Mexico: Article dated March 16, 2021 from the Santa Fe Reporter: "New Mexico College Students Face Food Insecurity"; and Link: GAO Report 19-95 dated December 21, 2018, "FOOD INSECURITY: Better Information Could Help Eligible College Students Access Federal Food Assistance Benefits"; (4) Honorable Ilhan Omar, a Representative in Congress from the State of Minnesota: Link--GAO Report 19-522 dated August 19, 2020, "Higher Education: More Information Could Help Student Parents Access Additional Federal Student Aid"; (5) Questions submitted for the record by: Honorable Jim Banks, a Representative in Congress from the State of Indiana; Honorable Russ Fulcher, a Representative in Congress from the State of Idaho; Honorable Diana Harshbarger, a Representative in Congress from the State of Tennessee; and Honorable Mikie Sherrill, a Representative in Congress from the State of New Jersey; and (6) Responses to questions submitted for the record by: Dr. Burke, Mr. Oakley, and Mr. Zibel.
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- 2022
19. When in Rome: Maximizing L2 Pragmatic Development in Study Abroad
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Morris, Kimberly
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The onset of COVID-19 has prompted world language professionals to reconceptualize best practices in second language (L2) teaching and research during a time of limited interaction due to social distancing across the globe (Morris, 2022). Not surprisingly, study abroad programs that once fostered communicative and intercultural development were put on pause, also halting opportunities for the transformative learning that can occur in immersion contexts (Leaver et al., 2021). Because study abroad can provide L2 learners with authentic L2 input and opportunities for meaningful interaction in diverse social contexts in ways that traditional classrooms simply cannot replicate, it provides fertile ground for L2 pragmatic development, particularly when supported with explicit instruction (Morris, 2017). This paper provides evidence from two studies of pragmatics that justifies the importance of getting back abroad to maximize L2 pragmatic development. The first study of 16 advanced L2 Spanish learners at home revealed limited pragmatic knowledge among all participants, including those who had studied abroad, thus pointing out the shortcomings of uninstructed pragmatic development. The second study of beginning L2 Spanish learners abroad confirmed the development of pragmatic competence among all students, particularly those who received a task-based instructional treatment. These studies signal that it is not only important to get back to Rome, per se, but also essential to support students in discovering what the Romans do, along with how, when, and why they do it, thus supporting their communicative effectiveness both in and out of the classroom as we move through and beyond the pandemic.
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- 2023
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20. Early Childhood Professionals and the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Look at Well-Being, Job Satisfaction, and Self-Efficacy
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Nancy Dayne, Youngok Jung, and Lana Tran
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Early Childhood Education (ECE) professionals faced unprecedented challenges, including the disruption of instructional programs and routines, since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The purpose of this study was to examine the physical and psychological well-being, job satisfaction, and job-related needs of early childhood educators and administrators during the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 117 diverse participants from Southern California participated in this study. Results found that ECE professionals maintained close relationships with children and families, experienced low depression, and reported high job satisfaction despite all the challenges they faced during the COVID-19 pandemic. Open-ended questions related to challenges and self-efficacy also were explored. This paper includes ways to support ECE teachers and administrators and their well-being and job satisfaction, under the guidelines of the Family and Consumer Sciences Body of Knowledge, as the pandemic continues.
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- 2023
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21. Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on the Future Generation of Latinx Physicians
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Garcia, Katherine Arias
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This article focuses on the impact of COVID-19 on Latinx undergraduate students persistence to medical school. Guided by Chicana/Latina Feminist Epistemology (Fierros & Delgado Bernal, 2016) and cultural assets from Latinx STEM Student Success Model (Rendón et al., 2019) this paper aims to take on an asset-based approach and center the voices and experiences of Latinx students in premedical studies as they persist towards medicine during a national pandemic. This study engaged 24 Latinx undergraduates during the summer of 2020, the height of the pandemic. Findings reveal the following themes on impact of COVID-19, (1) Navigating delays in medical school application timelines, (2) Navigating multiple stressors from home to health, (3) Navigating the online shift of clinical and volunteer experiences and (4) Motivations to address Latinx health disparities. Findings suggests Latinx students persisted in the face of a global pandemic and made connections to the larger structural issues that impact Latinx health outcomes.
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- 2022
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22. Virtual Undergraduate Internships: One COVID-19 Side Effect That Academic Libraries Should Keep
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Juarez, Damaris and Blackwood, Elizabeth
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In spring 2020, the California State University System and its 23 campuses became the first in the United States to commit to a year of remote instruction due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Remote instruction separated the system's librarians from their users, whose needs were especially great within the system's ethnically, economically, and academically diverse student body. At California State University Channel Islands (CSUCI), public health guidelines and closures prevented many students from fulfilling internship and field experience requirements needed for graduation. CSUCI's John Spoore Broome Library established a work-around by implementing a virtual internship program for one undergraduate that benefited both the student and the library. This paper, coauthored by the intern, documents the virtual internship, describes the model and structure of the experience, and argues that such remote internships are one pandemic side effect that should remain to promote equity in library and information science.
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- 2022
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23. Reimagining Expectations and Rigor in the College Classroom amid the Global Pandemic: Lessons from the Field
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Liou, Daniel D. and Rojas, Leticia
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The prolonged COVID-19 pandemic has placed postsecondary institutions in unfamiliar territory. Undoubtedly, postsecondary education must adapt to the realities of the pandemic, finding new ways to define academic expectations and rigor. Currently, COVID-19-related conversations among educators often default to focusing on students' race and economic and psychological vulnerabilities. While students' contexts must be taken into account, these dominant default discourses can also signal a dangerous lowering of faculty's expectations for some students, creating inequitable opportunities and outcomes that have unintended impacts on student learning. The purpose of this paper is to encourage faculty to reimagine rigor in the college classroom without compromising student learning. The authors intend to highlight some of the lessons learned in their own efforts to enact high expectations for students during these difficult times as they taught online synchronously and asynchronously in a non-certificated teacher education program in a community college in California and an educational doctorate program in America's southwest.
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- 2022
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24. Organophosphate pesticide exposure and risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection.
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Lopez L, Kogut K, Rauch S, Gunier RB, Wong MP, Harris E, Deardorff J, Eskenazi B, and Harley KG
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- Humans, Female, Young Adult, Adolescent, Male, California epidemiology, Pregnancy, Adult, Antibodies, Viral blood, Biomarkers urine, Biomarkers blood, Organophosphates urine, Longitudinal Studies, COVID-19 epidemiology, Environmental Exposure adverse effects, Pesticides urine, SARS-CoV-2
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Several studies have reported immune modulation by organophosphate (OP) pesticides, but the relationship between OP exposure and SARS-CoV-2 infection is yet to be studied. We used two different measures of OP pesticide exposure (urinary biomarkers (N = 154) and residential proximity to OP applications (N = 292)) to examine the association of early-childhood and lifetime exposure to OPs and risk of infection of SARS-CoV-2 using antibody data. Our study population consisted of young adults (ages 18-21 years) from the Center for the Health Assessment of Mothers and Children of Salinas (CHAMACOS) Study, a longitudinal cohort of families from a California agricultural region. Urinary biomarkers reflected exposure from in utero to age 5 years. Residential proximity reflected exposures between in utero and age 16 years. SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in blood samples collected between June 2022 and January 2023 were detected via two enzyme linked immunosorbent assays, each designed to bind to different SARS-CoV-2 antigens. We performed logistic regression for each measure of pesticide exposure, adjusting for covariates from demographic data and self-reported questionnaire data. We found increased odds of SARS-CoV-2 infection among participants with higher urinary biomarkers of OPs in utero (OR = 1.94, 95% CI: 0.71, 5,58) and from age 0-5 (OR = 1.90, 95% CI: 0.54, 6.95)., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)
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- 2024
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25. Air pollution changes due to COVID-19 lockdowns and attributable mortality changes in four countries.
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Ma Y, Nobile F, Marb A, Dubrow R, Kinney PL, Peters A, Stafoggia M, Breitner S, and Chen K
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- Humans, Italy epidemiology, Germany epidemiology, China epidemiology, Mortality trends, California epidemiology, SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 mortality, Air Pollution statistics & numerical data, Particulate Matter analysis, Nitrogen Dioxide analysis, Air Pollutants analysis
- Abstract
COVID-19 lockdowns reduced nitrogen dioxide (NO
2 ) and fine particulate matter (PM2.5 ) emissions in many countries. We aim to quantify the changes in these pollutants and to assess the attributable changes in mortality in Jiangsu, China; California, U.S.; Central-southern Italy; and Germany during COVID-19 lockdowns in early 2020. Accounting for meteorological impacts and air pollution time trends, we use a machine learning-based meteorological normalization technique and the difference-in-differences approach to quantify the changes in NO2 and PM2.5 concentrations due to lockdowns. Using region-specific estimates of the association between air pollution and mortality derived from a causal modeling approach using data from 2015 to 2019, we assess the changes in mortality attributable to the air pollution changes caused by the lockdowns in early 2020. During the lockdowns, NO2 reductions avoided 1.41 (95% empirical confidence interval [eCI]: 0.94, 1.88), 0.44 (95% eCI: 0.17, 0.71), and 4.66 (95% eCI: 2.03, 7.44) deaths per 100,000 people in Jiangsu, China; California, U.S.; and Central-southern Italy, respectively. Mortality benefits attributable to PM2.5 reductions were also significant, albeit of a smaller magnitude. For Germany, the mortality benefits attributable to NO2 changes were not significant (0.11; 95% eCI: -0.03, 0.25), and an increase in PM2.5 concentrations was associated with an increase in mortality of 0.35 (95% eCI: 0.22, 0.48) deaths per 100,000 people during the lockdown. COVID-19 lockdowns overall improved air quality and brought attributable health benefits, especially associated with NO2 improvements, with notable heterogeneity across regions. This study underscores the importance of accounting for local characteristics when policymakers adapt successful emission control strategies from other regions., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)- Published
- 2024
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26. Indirect vaccine effectiveness in an outbreak of Alpha B.1.1.7 variant in a California state Prison, May 2021.
- Author
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Archer H, McCoy SI, Sears D, Kwan A, Kuersten M, Lewnard JA, and Bertozzi SM
- Subjects
- Humans, 2019-nCoV Vaccine mRNA-1273, Pandemics, Vaccine Efficacy, California epidemiology, Disease Outbreaks prevention & control, Prisons, COVID-19 epidemiology, COVID-19 prevention & control, SARS-CoV-2
- Abstract
Incarcerated populations experienced high rates of SARS-CoV-2 infection and death during early phases of the COVID-19 pandemic. To evaluate vaccine effectiveness in the carceral context, we investigated the first outbreak of COVID-19 in a California state prison following widespread rollout of vaccines to residents in early 2021. We identified a cohort of 733 state prison residents presumed to be exposed between May 14 and June 22, 2021. 46.9 % (n = 344) were vaccinated, primarily with two doses of mRNA-1273 (n = 332, 93.6 %). In total, 92 PCR-positive cases were identified, of which 14 (14.5 %) occurred among mRNA-1273 vaccinated residents. No cases required hospitalization. All nine isolates collected belonged to the Alpha (B.1.1.7) variant. We used Cox proportional hazard regression to estimate vaccine effectiveness for at least one dose of any vaccine at the start of the outbreak. Vaccine effectiveness was 86 % (95 % CI: 75 %-97 %) against PCR-confirmed infection, with similar results for symptomatic infection. Higher rates of building-level vaccine uptake were associated with a lower overall rate of PCR-confirmed infection and symptomatic infection among unvaccinated residents. Among unvaccinated residents who lived in shared cells at the time of presumed exposure, exposure to a vaccinated cellmate was associated with a 38% (95% CI: 0.37, 1.04) lower hazard rate of PCR-confirmed infection over the study period. In this outbreak involving the Alpha SARS-CoV-2 variant, vaccination conferred direct and possibly indirect protection against SARS-CoV-2 infection and symptomatic COVID-19. Our results support the importance of vaccine uptake in mitigating outbreaks and severe disease in the prison setting and the consideration of community vaccination levels in policy and infection response., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier India Pvt Ltd. All rights reserved.)
- Published
- 2024
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27. Study protocol: Project 2VIDA! SARS-CoV-2 vaccine intervention delivery for adults in Southern California.
- Author
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Skaathun B, Salgin L, Muñoz FA, Talavera GA, Smith DM, Stockman JK, O'Bryan SE, Ramirez D, James-Price C, and Servin AE
- Subjects
- Adult, Humans, California epidemiology, United States, Clinical Trial Protocols as Topic, COVID-19 epidemiology, COVID-19 prevention & control, COVID-19 Vaccines
- Abstract
Background: To date, the United States (US) leads the world in the number of infections and deaths due to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). Racial and ethnic disparities in COVID-19 morbidity and mortality are staggering. Age-adjusted data show that AA and Latino individuals have had higher rates of death over most of the pandemic and during surges. Project 2VIDA! is community-based participatory research (CBPR) that was developed to address individual, social, and contextual factors related to access and acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccine among African American and Latino communities in Southern California. This paper describes the study protocol and overarching objectives., Methods and Design: Project 2VIDA! is a multilevel intervention that builds on the principals of CBPR and is designed to increase uptake of the COVID-19 vaccine among African American and Latino individuals (≥16 years and older) in San Diego County. The intervention was developed with a working group comprised of representatives from community and academia and centers on targeted COVID-19 individual awareness and education, linkage to medical and supportive services, COVID-19 community outreach and health promotion and offering the COVID-19 vaccine through community pop-up clinics., Discussion: Findings from 2VIDA! will provide data on the impact, feasibility, and acceptability of the intervention which are all crucial for the adaptation, refinement, and improvement of vaccine outreach interventions for COVID-19 and other vaccine preventable infectious diseases that severely impact African American and Latino communities., Clinical Trial Registration: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT05022472?term=Project+2VIDA&draw=2&rank=1, NCT05022472., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Skaathun, Salgin, Muñoz, Talavera, Smith, Stockman, O’Bryan, Ramirez, James-Price and Servin.)
- Published
- 2024
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28. Characterizing predictors of COVID-19 vaccine refusal in an urban southern California jail population.
- Author
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Qureshi NS, Miller LG, Judge SP, Tran NDT, and Henderson SO
- Subjects
- Female, Male, Humans, Adolescent, Young Adult, Adult, Middle Aged, COVID-19 Vaccines, Jails, Retrospective Studies, Trust, SARS-CoV-2, Vaccination Refusal, California epidemiology, Vaccination, COVID-19 epidemiology, COVID-19 prevention & control, Influenza, Human
- Abstract
Background: Correctional populations have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19, and many large outbreaks have occurred in jails and prisons. Vaccination is a key strategy to reduce the SARS-CoV-2 transmission in carceral settings. Although implementation can be challenging due to vaccine hesitancy and medical mistrust, correctional settings provide largely equitable healthcare access and present a unique opportunity to identify potential predictors of vaccine hesitancy independent of access issues., Methods: We retrospectively analyzed electronic health record data for individuals offered COVID-19 vaccination at the Los Angeles County Jail between January 19, 2021, and January 31, 2023, and used multivariable logistic regression to determine predictors of COVID-19 vaccine refusal., Results: Of the 21,424 individuals offered COVID-19 vaccination, 2,060 (9.6 %) refused. Refusal was associated with male sex ([aOR] = 2.3, 95 % CI (1.9, 2.8)), age 18-34 ([aOR] = 1.2, 95 % CI (1.1, 1.4), referent group: age 45-54), Black race ([aOR] = 1.2, 95 % CI (1.1, 1.4)), reporting ever being houseless ([aOR] = 1.2, 95 % CI (1.1, 1.3)), and having a history of not receiving influenza vaccination while incarcerated ([aOR] = 2.4, 95 % CI (2.0, 2.8)). When analyzing male and female populations separately, male-specific trends reflected those seen in the overall population, whereas the only significant predictor of vaccine refusal in the female population was not receiving influenza vaccination while in custody ([aOR] = 6.5, 95 % CI (2.4, 17.6))., Conclusion: Identifying predictors of vaccine refusal in correctional populations is an essential first step in the development and implementation of targeted interventions to mitigate vaccine hesitancy., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)
- Published
- 2024
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29. A bifurcation of the peak: new patterns of traffic peaking during the COVID-19 era.
- Author
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Gao, Yang and Levinson, David
- Subjects
COVID-19 pandemic ,TRAFFIC patterns ,TRAFFIC flow ,CITIES & towns ,HOUSEHOLD surveys - Abstract
This paper analyzes the emergence of two well-defined peaks during the morning peak period in the traffic flow diurnal curve. It selects six California cities as research targets, and uses California employment and household travel survey data to explain how and why this phenomenon has risen during the pandemic. The final result explains that the double-humped phenomenon results from the change in the composition of commuters during the morning peak period after the outbreak. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2024
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30. Temporal assessment of disparities in California COVID-19 mortality by industry: a population-based retrospective cohort study.
- Author
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Gebreegziabher E, Bui D, Cummings KJ, Beckman J, Frederick M, Nguyen A, Chan E, Gibb K, Rodriguez A, Wong J, Majka C, Jain S, and Vergara X
- Subjects
- Humans, Retrospective Studies, SARS-CoV-2, California epidemiology, COVID-19
- Abstract
Purpose: To assess changes in the COVID-19 mortality rate and disparities over variants or waves by industry., Methods: We identified COVID-19 deaths that occurred between January 2020 and May 2022 among California workers aged 18-64 years using death certificates, and estimated Californians at risk using the Current Population Survey. The waves in deaths were wave 1: March-June 2020, wave 2: July-November 2020, wave 3/Epsilon and Alpha variants: December 2020-May 2021, wave 4/Delta variant: June 2021-January 2022, and wave 5/Omicron variant: February-May 2022. We used Poisson regression to generate wave-specific mortality rate ratios (MRR) and included an interaction term between industry and wave in different models to assess significance of the change in MRR., Results: In all waves of the pandemic, healthcare, other services, manufacturing, transportation, and retail trade industries had higher mortality rates than the professional, scientific, and technical industry. The healthcare industry had the highest relative rate earlier in the pandemic, while other services, utilities, and accommodation and food services industries had substantial increases in MRR in later waves., Conclusions: Industries that consistently had disproportionate COVID-19 mortality may have benefitted from protections that consider workers' increased exposure and vulnerability to severe outcomes., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)
- Published
- 2023
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31. Covid-19 shelter-in-place, modified reopening orders, and order compliance impact on adolescent alcohol use and drinking contexts in California: A longitudinal analysis.
- Author
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Kristina Wharton M, Balassone A, Thomas S, Treffers R, Paschall MJ, Lam L, and Lipperman-Kreda S
- Subjects
- Adolescent, Humans, Alcohol Drinking epidemiology, Emergency Shelter, Pandemics, California epidemiology, Underage Drinking, COVID-19 prevention & control
- Abstract
Introduction: This study evaluated how Shelter-in-Place (SIP), modified reopening orders, and self-reported compliance with these orders have affected adolescent alcohol frequency and quantity of use across contexts during the COVID-19 pandemic., Materials and Methods: Differences-in-differences (DID) models and multi-level modeling analyses were conducted on longitudinal data collected as part of a larger study on alcohol use among adolescents in California. 1,350 adolescents at baseline contributed 7,467 observations for a baseline and 5 six-month follow-up surveys. Analytic samples ranged from 3,577-6,245 participant observations based on models. Alcohol use outcomes included participant frequency (days) and quantity (number of whole drinks) of alcohol use in past 1-month and past 6-month periods. Context-specific alcohol use outcomes included past 6-month frequency and quantity of use at: restaurants, bars/nightclubs, outside, one's own home, another's home, and fraternities/sororities. Participant self-reported compliance with orders in essential business/retail spaces and at outdoor/social settings were also assessed., Results: Our DID results indicated that being under a modified reopening order was associated with decreases in past 6-month quantity of alcohol use (IRR = 0.72, CI = 0.56-0.93, p < 0.05). Higher self-reported compliance with SIP orders related to social outdoor/social settings was associated with decreases in overall drinking frequency and quantity as well as decreases in frequency and quantity of alcohol use in all contexts in the past six months. Compliance with SIP orders impacting essential businesses and retail spaces was associated with decreased frequency and quantity of use at other's home and outdoors., Conclusions: Results suggest that SIP and modified reopening policies may not directly affect adolescent alcohol use or drinking contexts, and that individual compliance with such orders may be a protective factor for alcohol use., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)
- Published
- 2023
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32. Reopening California: Seeking robust, non-dominated COVID-19 exit strategies.
- Author
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Nascimento de Lima, Pedro, Lempert, Robert, Vardavas, Raffaele, Baker, Lawrence, Ringel, Jeanne, Rutter, Carolyn M., Ozik, Jonathan, and Collier, Nicholson
- Subjects
COVID-19 ,COVID-19 pandemic ,HEALTH policy ,DEATH rate ,DECISION making - Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic required significant public health interventions from local governments. Although nonpharmaceutical interventions often were implemented as decision rules, few studies evaluated the robustness of those reopening plans under a wide range of uncertainties. This paper uses the Robust Decision Making approach to stress-test 78 alternative reopening strategies, using California as an example. This study uniquely considers a wide range of uncertainties and demonstrates that seemingly sensible reopening plans can lead to both unnecessary COVID-19 deaths and days of interventions. We find that plans using fixed COVID-19 case thresholds might be less effective than strategies with time-varying reopening thresholds. While we use California as an example, our results are particularly relevant for jurisdictions where vaccination roll-out has been slower. The approach used in this paper could also prove useful for other public health policy problems in which policymakers need to make robust decisions in the face of deep uncertainty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2021
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- View/download PDF
33. Exact inference for disease prevalence based on a test with unknown specificity and sensitivity.
- Author
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Cai, Bryan, Ioannidis, John P. A., Bendavid, Eran, and Tian, Lu
- Subjects
DISEASE prevalence ,SENSITIVITY & specificity (Statistics) ,INFERENTIAL statistics ,COVID-19 pandemic ,MEASUREMENT errors - Abstract
To make informative public policy decisions in battling the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, it is important to know the disease prevalence in a population. There are two intertwined difficulties in estimating this prevalence based on testing results from a group of subjects. First, the test is prone to measurement error with unknown sensitivity and specificity. Second, the prevalence tends to be low at the initial stage of the pandemic and we may not be able to determine if a positive test result is a false positive due to the imperfect test specificity. The statistical inference based on a large sample approximation or conventional bootstrap may not be valid in such cases. In this paper, we have proposed a set of confidence intervals, whose validity doesn't depend on the sample size in the unweighted setting. For the weighted setting, the proposed inference is equivalent to hybrid bootstrap methods, whose performance is also more robust than those based on asymptotic approximations. The methods are used to reanalyze data from a study investigating the antibody prevalence in Santa Clara County, California in addition to several other seroprevalence studies. Simulation studies have been conducted to examine the finite-sample performance of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2023
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- View/download PDF
34. Do wildfires exacerbate COVID-19 infections and deaths in vulnerable communities? Evidence from California.
- Author
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Yu S and Hsueh L
- Subjects
- Humans, Smoke adverse effects, California epidemiology, Particulate Matter, Wildfires, COVID-19 epidemiology, Disasters
- Abstract
Understanding whether and how wildfires exacerbate COVID-19 outcomes is important for assessing the efficacy and design of public sector responses in an age of more frequent and simultaneous natural disasters and extreme events. Drawing on environmental and emergency management literatures, we investigate how wildfire smoke (PM
2.5 ) impacted COVID-19 infections and deaths during California's 2020 wildfire season and how public housing resources and hospital capacity moderated wildfires' effects on COVID-19 outcomes. We also hypothesize and empirically assess the differential impact of wildfire smoke on COVID-19 infections and deaths in counties exhibiting high and low social vulnerability. To test our hypotheses concerning wildfire severity and its disproportionate impact on COVID-19 outcomes in socially vulnerable communities, we construct a county-by-day panel dataset for the period April 1 to November 30, 2020, in California, drawing on publicly available state and federal data sources. This study's empirical results, based on panel fixed effects models, show that wildfire smoke is significantly associated with increases in COVID-19 infections and deaths. Moreover, wildfires exacerbated COVID-19 outcomes by depleting the already scarce hospital and public housing resources in local communities. Conversely, when wildfire smoke doubled, a one percent increase in the availability of hospital and public housing resources was associated with a 2 to 7 percent decline in COVID-19 infections and deaths. For California communities exhibiting high social vulnerability, the occurrence of wildfires worsened COVID-19 outcomes. Sensitivity analyses based on an alternative sample size and different measures of social vulnerability validate this study's main findings. An implication of this study for policymakers is that communities exhibiting high social vulnerability will greatly benefit from local government policies that promote social equity in housing and healthcare before, during, and after disasters., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)- Published
- 2023
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35. Air pollution and meteorology as risk factors for COVID-19 death in a cohort from Southern California.
- Author
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Jerrett M, Nau CL, Young DR, Butler RK, Batteate CM, Su J, Burnett RT, and Kleeman MJ
- Subjects
- Humans, Meteorology, Particulate Matter adverse effects, Particulate Matter analysis, Risk Factors, California epidemiology, Nitrates, Environmental Exposure adverse effects, COVID-19, Air Pollution adverse effects, Air Pollution analysis, Air Pollutants analysis
- Abstract
Background: Recent evidence links ambient air pollution to COVID-19 incidence, severity, and death, but few studies have analyzed individual-level mortality data with high quality exposure models., Methods: We sought to assess whether higher air pollution exposures led to greater risk of death during or after hospitalization in confirmed COVID-19 cases among patients who were members of the Kaiser Permanente Southern California (KPSC) healthcare system (N=21,415 between 06-01-2020 and 01-31-2022 of whom 99.85 % were unvaccinated during the study period). We used 1 km resolution chemical transport models to estimate ambient concentrations of several common air pollutants, including ozone, nitrogen dioxide, and fine particle matter (PM
2.5 ). We also derived estimates of pollutant exposures from ultra-fine particulate matter (PM0.1 ), PM chemical species, and PM sources. We employed Cox proportional hazards models to assess associations between air pollution exposures and death from COVID-19 among hospitalized patients., Findings: We found significant associations between COVID-19 death and several air pollution exposures, including: PM2.5 mass, PM0.1 mass, PM2.5 nitrates, PM2.5 elemental carbon, PM2.5 on-road diesel, and PM2.5 on-road gasoline. Based on the interquartile (IQR) exposure increment, effect sizes ranged from hazard ratios (HR) = 1.12 for PM2.5 mass and PM2.5 nitrate to HR ∼ 1.06-1.07 for other species or source markers. Humidity and temperature in the month of diagnosis were also significant negative predictors of COVID-19 death and negative modifiers of the air pollution effects., Interpretation: Air pollution exposures and meteorology were associated the risk of COVID-19 death in a cohort of patients from Southern California. These findings have implications for prevention of death from COVID-19 and for future pandemics., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)- Published
- 2023
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- View/download PDF
36. "Prison life is very hard and it's made harder if you're isolated": COVID-19 risk mitigation strategies and the mental health of incarcerated women in California.
- Author
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James JE, Riddle L, and Perez-Aguilar G
- Subjects
- Humans, Female, Aged, Prisons, Mental Health, Pandemics prevention & control, Communicable Disease Control, California epidemiology, Prisoners psychology, COVID-19 epidemiology, COVID-19 prevention & control
- Abstract
Purpose: This study aims to describe the COVID-19 risk mitigation strategies implemented in California prisons and the impact of these policies on the mental health of incarcerated women., Design/methodology/approach: The authors conducted semi-structured qualitative interviews with ten women who were over the age of 50 and/or had a chronic illness and had been incarcerated in California prisons during the COVID-19 pandemic. The authors also interviewed ten health-care providers working in California jails or prisons during the pandemic. Interviews were analyzed using a grounded theory coding framework and triangulated with fieldnotes from ethnographic observations of medical and legal advocacy efforts during the pandemic., Findings: Participants described being locked in their cells for 23 hours per day or more, often for days, weeks or even months at a time in an effort to reduce the spread of COVID-19. For many participants, these lockdowns and the resulting isolation from loved ones both inside and outside of the prison were detrimental to both their physical and mental health. Participants reported that access to mental health care for those in the general population was limited prior to the pandemic, and that COVID-19 risk mitigation strategies, including the cessation of group programs and shift to cell-front mental health services, created further barriers., Originality/value: There has been little qualitative research on the mental health effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on incarcerated populations. This paper provides insight into the mental health effects of both the COVID-19 pandemic and COVID-19 risk mitigation strategies for the structurally vulnerable older women incarcerated in California prisons., (© Jennifer E. James, Leslie Riddle and Giselle Perez-Aguilar.)
- Published
- 2022
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
37. Were small businesses more likely to permanently close in the pandemic?
- Author
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Fairlie, Robert, Fossen, Frank M., Johnsen, Reid, and Droboniku, Gentian
- Subjects
SMALL business ,INDUSTRIAL concentration ,PANDEMICS ,COVID-19 pandemic ,SALE of business enterprises - Abstract
Previous estimates indicate that COVID-19 led to a large drop in the number of operating businesses operating early in the pandemic, but surprisingly little is known on whether these shutdowns turned into permanent closures and whether small businesses were disproportionately hit. This paper provides the first analysis of permanent business closures using confidential administrative firm-level panel data covering the universe of businesses filing sales taxes from the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration. We find large increases in closure rates in the first two quarters of 2020, but a strong reversal of this trend in the third quarter of 2020. The increase in closures rates in the first two quarters of the pandemic was substantially larger for small businesses than large businesses, but the rebound in the third quarter was also larger. The disproportionate closing of small businesses led to a sharp concentration of market share among larger businesses as indicated by the Herfindahl–Hirschman Index with only a partial reversal after the initial increase. The findings highlight the fragility of small businesses during a large adverse shock and the consequences for the competitiveness of markets. Plain English Summary: Small businesses were more likely to close permanently during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic than large businesses. Although they rebounded strongly thereafter, market concentration remains higher than before the pandemic. We obtain these results from analyzing administrative firm-level data covering all businesses filing sales taxes in California. Our analysis contributes to research by demonstrating the fragility of small businesses during a crisis relative to large businesses. Our findings imply that small businesses may need additional support given the trend toward purchases from large online retailers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2023
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
38. SARS-CoV-2 infection risk among vaccinated and unvaccinated household members during the Alpha variant surge - Denver, Colorado, and San Diego, California, January-April 2021.
- Author
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McCormick DW, Konkle SL, Magleby R, Chakrabarti AK, Cherney B, Lindell K, Namageyo-Funa A, Visser S, Soto RA, Donnelly MAP, Stringer G, Austin B, Beatty ME, Stous S, Albanese BA, Chu VT, Chuey M, Dietrich EA, Drobeniuc J, Folster JM, Killerby ME, Lehman JA, McDonald EC, Ruffin J, Schwartz NG, Sheldon SW, Sleweon S, Thornburg NJ, Hughes LJ, Petway M, Tong S, Whaley MJ, Kirking HL, Tate JE, Hsu CH, and Matanock A
- Subjects
- COVID-19 Vaccines, California epidemiology, Colorado epidemiology, Humans, COVID-19 epidemiology, COVID-19 prevention & control, SARS-CoV-2
- Abstract
Background: COVID-19 vaccination reduces SARS-CoV-2 infection and transmission. However, evidence is emerging on the degree of protection across variants and in high-transmission settings. To better understand the protection afforded by vaccination specifically in a high-transmission setting, we examined household transmission of SARS-CoV-2 during a period of high community incidence with predominant SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.7 (Alpha) variant, among vaccinated and unvaccinated contacts., Methods: We conducted a household transmission investigation in San Diego County, California, and Denver, Colorado, during January-April 2021. Households were enrolled if they had at least one person with documented SARS-CoV-2 infection. We collected nasopharyngeal swabs, blood, demographic information, and vaccination history from all consenting household members. We compared infection risks (IRs), RT-PCR cycle threshold values, SARS-CoV-2 culture results, and antibody statuses among vaccinated and unvaccinated household contacts., Results: We enrolled 493 individuals from 138 households. The SARS-CoV-2 variant was identified from 121/138 households (88%). The most common variants were Alpha (75/121, 62%) and Epsilon (19/121, 16%). There were no households with discordant lineages among household members. One fully vaccinated secondary case was symptomatic (13%); the other 5 were asymptomatic (87%). Among unvaccinated secondary cases, 105/108 (97%) were symptomatic. Among 127 households with a single primary case, the IR for household contacts was 45% (146/322; 95% Confidence Interval [CI] 40-51%). The observed IR was higher in unvaccinated (130/257, 49%, 95% CI 45-57%) than fully vaccinated contacts (6/26, 23%, 95% CI 11-42%). A lower proportion of households with a fully vaccinated primary case had secondary cases (1/5, 20%) than households with an unvaccinated primary case (66/108, 62%)., Conclusions: Although SARS-CoV-2 infections in vaccinated household contacts were reported in this high transmission setting, full vaccination protected against SARS-CoV-2 infection. These findings further support the protective effect of COVID-19 vaccination and highlight the need for ongoing vaccination among eligible persons., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Published by Elsevier Ltd.)
- Published
- 2022
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
39. "Prison life is very hard and it's made harder if you're isolated": COVID-19 risk mitigation strategies and the mental health of incarcerated women in California.
- Author
-
James, Jennifer E., Riddle, Leslie, and Perez-Aguilar, Giselle
- Subjects
WOMEN'S mental health ,COVID-19 pandemic ,MENTAL health services ,PRISON conditions ,COVID-19 - Abstract
Purpose: This study aims to describe the COVID-19 risk mitigation strategies implemented in California prisons and the impact of these policies on the mental health of incarcerated women. Design/methodology/approach: The authors conducted semi-structured qualitative interviews with ten women who were over the age of 50 and/or had a chronic illness and had been incarcerated in California prisons during the COVID-19 pandemic. The authors also interviewed ten health-care providers working in California jails or prisons during the pandemic. Interviews were analyzed using a grounded theory coding framework and triangulated with fieldnotes from ethnographic observations of medical and legal advocacy efforts during the pandemic. Findings: Participants described being locked in their cells for 23 hours per day or more, often for days, weeks or even months at a time in an effort to reduce the spread of COVID-19. For many participants, these lockdowns and the resulting isolation from loved ones both inside and outside of the prison were detrimental to both their physical and mental health. Participants reported that access to mental health care for those in the general population was limited prior to the pandemic, and that COVID-19 risk mitigation strategies, including the cessation of group programs and shift to cell-front mental health services, created further barriers. Originality/value: There has been little qualitative research on the mental health effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on incarcerated populations. This paper provides insight into the mental health effects of both the COVID-19 pandemic and COVID-19 risk mitigation strategies for the structurally vulnerable older women incarcerated in California prisons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2023
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
40. Utilization of Alternate Care Sites During the COVID-19 Surge and Mass Care: California, 2020-2021.
- Author
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Christensen K, Metzner M, Lovett-Floom L, Lindsay C, Meghoo CA, Staats K, Devereaux A, Noste E, and Backer H
- Subjects
- Humans, Pandemics, SARS-CoV-2, Health Facilities, California epidemiology, Surge Capacity, Critical Care, COVID-19 epidemiology, COVID-19 therapy
- Abstract
The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic caused critical hospital bed and staffing shortages in parts of California for most of 2020 and 2021. Alternate Care Sites (ACS) were established in several regions to alleviate the hospital patient surge and to maximize staffed bed capacity. Over 1900 patients were successfully provided medical care (with physician, nursing, respiratory therapy, oxygen, and pharmacy services) in relatively austere settings. This paper examines the challenges faced at these ACS facilities and how adaptations were incorporated according to the changing dynamics of the COVID-19 pandemic to successfully manage higher acuity patients. ACS facilities were 1 approach to California's surge of COVID-19 patients, despite limited medical supplies and staffing.
- Published
- 2022
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- View/download PDF
41. Tobacco and marijuana use during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown among American Indians residing in California and Oklahoma.
- Author
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Dang, Julie H. T., Chen, Sixia, Hall, Spencer, Campbell, Janis E., Chen Jr., Moon S., and Doescher, Mark P.
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CANNABIS (Genus) ,SUBSTANCE abuse ,COVID-19 ,CROSS-sectional method ,AGE distribution ,PSYCHOLOGY of Native Americans ,INCOME ,DESCRIPTIVE statistics ,EMPLOYMENT ,HEALTH attitudes ,ALCOHOL drinking ,RESEARCH funding ,STAY-at-home orders ,SMOKING ,STATISTICAL sampling ,MARITAL status ,COVID-19 pandemic - Abstract
INTRODUCTION American Indian (AI) people experience a disproportionate tobacco and marijuana burden which may have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Little is known about the tobacco and marijuana habits of American Indian individuals during the COVID-19 pandemic. The objective of this study is to examine tobacco and marijuana use as well as change in use during the COVID-19 pandemic among the American Indian community. METHODS This cross-sectional study analyzes survey data from a convenience sample of American Indian individuals residing in California and Oklahoma and included adults with and without cancer that resided in both rural and urban areas (n=1068). RESULTS During October 2020 -- January 2021, 36.0% of participants reported current use of tobacco products, 9.9% reported current use of marijuana products, and 23.7% reported increased use of tobacco and/or marijuana in the past 30 days, with no difference between those with cancer and those without cancer. Tobacco use was associated with marital status, age, employment status, COVID-19 exposure, COVID-19 beliefs, and alcohol consumption. Marijuana use was associated with COVID-19 beliefs, alcohol consumption, and income level. Increased tobacco and/or marijuana use was associated with baseline use of those products. Nearly a quarter of participants reported increased use of tobacco and/ or marijuana products during the COVID-19 pandemic. CONCLUSIONS We observed high rates of tobacco use during the COVID-19 pandemic, consistent with other studies. Research is needed to examine whether tobacco and marijuana use will decrease to pre-pandemic levels post-pandemic or if these behaviors will persist post-pandemic. Given these findings, there is a pressing need to increase access to evidence-based tobacco and marijuana treatment services in the AI population post COVID-19 pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2023
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42. Confidence in COVID‐19 vaccines moderates the association between vaccination status and mental distress.
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Tan, Chee Meng, Owuamalam, Chuma, Sarma, Vengadeshvaran J., and Ng, Pek Kim
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CONFIDENCE , *COVID-19 vaccines , *CRONBACH'S alpha , *QUESTIONNAIRES , *FACTOR analysis , *DESCRIPTIVE statistics , *CHI-squared test , *VACCINATION status , *STATISTICAL models , *DATA analysis software , *PSYCHOLOGICAL distress , *LONGITUDINAL method , *OPTIMISM ,DEVELOPED countries - Abstract
Previous research has demonstrated that becoming vaccinated with the Coronavirus vaccine may lower mental distress. However, it remains uncertain whether this relationship holds amid concerns of vaccine side effects and doubts of the vaccine's protective capabilities. We presented three studies that showed how vaccine confidence negatively influences the relationship between vaccine uptake and mental distress. Using two‐way fixed effects regression models, Study 1 analyzes longitudinal survey of respondents from Los Angeles County in the US, while Study 2 uses the same analytical strategy but generalises findings by analysing longitudinal data of participants across all 50 US states. Main results of both studies show that (i) vaccination uptake is linked with reduced mental distress among individuals with high vaccine confidence (ii) vaccine uptake has no effect on mental distress among individuals with low vaccine confidence. Lastly, Study 3 applies multilevel analysis to a large‐scale pseudo‐panel study of 15 developed countries. Results for the third study corroborate finding (i) but not (ii) in that the multinational study finds that vaccine uptake is actually associated with higher mental distress among individuals with low vaccine confidence. In sum, our paper shows that the palliative effect of vaccination on mental health only exists when vaccine confidence is high. Results are mixed on whether vaccination affects mental distress when individual vaccine confidence is low. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2023
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43. The COVID-19 baby bump in the United States.
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Bailey, Martha J., Currie, Janet, and Schwandt, Hannes
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COVID-19 pandemic ,FERTILITY decline ,COVID-19 ,INFANTS ,GREAT Recession, 2008-2013 ,WOMEN college students ,PREMATURE infants - Abstract
We use natality microdata covering the universe of US. births for 2015 to 2021 and California births from 2015 through February 2023 to examine childbearing responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. We find that 60% of the 2020 decline in US fertility rates was driven by sharp reductions in births to foreign-born mothers although births to this group comprised only 22% of all US births in 2019. This decline started in January 2020. In contrast, the COVID-19 recession resulted in an overall "baby bump" among US-born mothers, which marked the first reversal in declining fertility rates since the Great Recession. Births to US-born mothers fell by 31,000 in 2020 relative to a prepandemic trend but increased by 71,000 in 2021. The data for California suggest that US births remained elevated through February 2023. The baby bump was most pronounced for first births and women under age 25, suggesting that the pandemic led some women to start families earlier. Above age 25, the baby bump was most pronounced for women aged 30 to 34 and women with a college education. The 2021 to 2022 baby bump is especially remarkable given the large declines in fertility rates that would have been projected by standard statistical models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2023
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44. Modifying Text Messages from a Faith-Based Physical Activity Intervention with Latino Adults in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic.
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Whitley, Margaret D, Perez, Lilian G, Castro, Gabriela, Larson, Anne, and Derose, Kathryn P
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QUALITATIVE research ,HUMAN services programs ,RESEARCH funding ,HISPANIC Americans ,CONSUMER attitudes ,QUANTITATIVE research ,CHURCH buildings ,MOTIVATION (Psychology) ,HEALTH behavior ,SPANISH language ,COMMUNICATION ,SPIRITUALITY ,TEXT messages ,HEALTH promotion ,SOCIAL support ,PHYSICAL activity ,COVID-19 pandemic ,COVID-19 ,CUSTOMER satisfaction - Abstract
Background: Text messages are useful for health promotion and can be modified during public health emergencies. Purpose: Describe how we developed and implemented a physical activity (PA) text messaging component within a faith-based intervention, modified the text message content in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and evaluated participants' perceptions of the modified text messages. Research Design and Study Sample: PA promotion text messages were delivered to predominately Spanish-speaking, churchgoing Latino adults (n = 284) in Los Angeles, California. In 2020, we modified the messages to disseminate COVID-19-related information and support and share virtual PA resources. Data Collection and Analysis: We analyzed quantitative and qualitative survey data to gauge participants' experiences with the text messages. Results: COVID-19 related text messages were a feasible, acceptable addition to a PA intervention for a sample of Latinos. Conclusions: Throughout the pandemic, the messages enabled continued communication and support for PA and protection from COVID-19 in a population at high-risk of health inequities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2024
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45. Impacts of COVID-19 on the early care and education sector in California: Variations across program types.
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Kim, Yoonjeon, Montoya, Elena, Doocy, Sean, Austin, Lea J.E., and Whitebook, Marcy
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COVID-19 pandemic , *COVID-19 , *DAY care centers , *FAMILY-centered care , *SUBSIDIES - Abstract
• Impact of COVID-19 on ECE programs differed greatly by program type, funding source. • Family child care homes fared worse in most measures of economic well-being with direct implications for individual providers during COVID-19. • Lower attendance, staffing concerns were pandemic challenges for center-based care. • Voucher-receiving centers more likely to face negative impacts during COVID-19. • Head Start/state-contract centers more able to support staff well-being in pandemic. The COVID-19 crisis has overwhelmed and weakened the United States early care and education (ECE) sector, jeopardizing a system that was already precariously situated atop a weak foundation. While multiple national- and state-level studies have highlighted the overwhelming impacts of the pandemic on the ECE sector, little has been reported about how much variation in impacts exists, and in what forms, within the ECE sector. Based on a statewide survey of 953 licensed care providers in California conducted in June 2020, this paper examines the impact of COVID-19 experienced by ECE providers, focusing on the variations between centers and family child care homes (FCCs) and among center-based programs. Results indicate that the challenges programs face differ greatly depending on program type and funding source. Compared to center-based programs, FCCs fared worse in most measures of economic hardship that directly impact individual providers with medium to large effect sizes. Centers were more likely than FCCs to struggle with reduced attendance and changes in program operations by medium to large effect sizes and report staffing challenges by small to medium effect sizes. Among the center-based programs, subsidized programs holding contracts with Head Start or the California Department of Education (such as state preschool programs) were more stable and better able to financially support their staff during the pandemic, with effect sizes ranging from medium to large. Centers receiving government subsidies in the form of vouchers were more likely to be negatively impacted by the pandemic compared to unsubsidized centers and Head Start and state-contracted centers. Implications for future research and policy are discussed in the context of addressing the complex delivery system of ECE services and supporting outcomes that are effective and equitable for children, families, and the ECE workforce. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2022
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46. Multiple change point clustering of count processes with application to California COVID data.
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Sarkar, Shuchismita and Zhu, Xuwen
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FIX-point estimation , *LEVY processes , *COVID-19 , *FINITE mixture models (Statistics) , *TIME series analysis , *STOCHASTIC processes , *LOGITS - Abstract
• Analysis of 275-day long time series of county level COVID-19 data in California state. • Multiple change point estimation in the framework of mixture modeling and model-based clustering. • Change point given by gap between logit transformed segments in negative binomial nonhomogeneous Levy process. • Three geographically meaningful clusters, each with several change points indicating the spread and decline of infection. In this paper, a model-based clustering algorithm relying on a finite mixture of negative binomial Lévy processes is proposed. The algorithm models heterogeneous stochastic count process data and automatically estimates multiple change points upon fitting the mixture model. Such change point estimation identifies time points when deviation from the standard process has occurred and serves as an important diagnostic tool for analyzing temporal data. The proposed model is applied to the COVID-positive ICU cases in the state of California with very interesting results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2022
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47. An Open-Source Workflow for Spatiotemporal Studies with COVID-19 as an Example.
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Malarvizhi, Anusha Srirenganathan, Liu, Qian, Sha, Dexuan, Lan, Hai, and Yang, Chaowei
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WORKFLOW software ,COVID-19 ,WORKFLOW ,SARS-CoV-2 ,SOURCE code ,AIR analysis ,COMPUTER software development - Abstract
Many previous studies have shown that open-source technologies help democratize information and foster collaborations to enable addressing global physical and societal challenges. The outbreak of the novel coronavirus has imposed unprecedented challenges to human society. It affects every aspect of livelihood, including health, environment, transportation, and economy. Open-source technologies provide a new ray of hope to collaboratively tackle the pandemic. The role of open source is not limited to sharing a source code. Rather open-source projects can be adopted as a software development approach to encourage collaboration among researchers. Open collaboration creates a positive impact in society and helps combat the pandemic effectively. Open-source technology integrated with geospatial information allows decision-makers to make strategic and informed decisions. It also assists them in determining the type of intervention needed based on geospatial information. The novelty of this paper is to standardize the open-source workflow for spatiotemporal research. The highlights of the open-source workflow include sharing data, analytical tools, spatiotemporal applications, and results and formalizing open-source software development. The workflow includes (i) developing open-source spatiotemporal applications, (ii) opening and sharing the spatiotemporal resources, and (iii) replicating the research in a plug and play fashion. Open data, open analytical tools and source code, and publicly accessible results form the foundation for this workflow. This paper also presents a case study with the open-source spatiotemporal application development for air quality analysis in California, USA. In addition to the application development, we shared the spatiotemporal data, source code, and research findings through the GitHub repository. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2022
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48. CalScope: methodology and lessons learned for conducting a remote statewide SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence study in California using an at-home dried blood spot collection kit and online survey.
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Lim, Esther, Mehrotra, Megha L., Lamba, Katherine, Kamali, Amanda, Lai, Kristina W., Meza, Erika, Bertsch-Merbach, Stephanie, Szeto, Irvin, Ley, Catherine, Martin, Andrew B., Parsonnet, Julie, Robinson, Peter, Gebhart, David, Fonseca, Noemi, Tsai, Cheng-ting, Seftel, David, Nicolici, Allyx, Melton, David, and Jain, Seema
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BLOOD collection ,INTERNET surveys ,SARS-CoV-2 ,COVID-19 ,HEALTH boards - Abstract
Background: To describe the methodology for conducting the CalScope study, a remote, population-based survey launched by the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) to estimate SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence and understand COVID-19 disease burden in California. Methods: Between April 2021 and August 2022, 666,857 randomly selected households were invited by mail to complete an online survey and at-home test kit for up to one adult and one child. A gift card was given for each completed survey and test kit. Multiple customized REDCap databases were used to create a data system which provided task automation and scalable data management through API integrations. Support infrastructure was developed to manage follow-up for participant questions and a communications plan was used for outreach through local partners. Results: Across 3 waves, 32,671 out of 666,857 (4.9%) households registered, 6.3% by phone using an interactive voice response (IVR) system and 95.7% in English. Overall, 25,488 (78.0%) households completed surveys, while 23,396 (71.6%) households returned blood samples for testing. Support requests (n = 5,807) received through the web-based form (36.3%), by email (34.1%), and voicemail (29.7%) were mostly concerned with the test kit (31.6%), test result (26.8%), and gift card (21.3%). Conclusions: Ensuring a well-integrated and scalable data system, responsive support infrastructure for participant follow-up, and appropriate academic and local health department partnerships for study management and communication allowed for successful rollout of a large population-based survey. Remote data collection utilizing online surveys and at-home test kits can complement routine surveillance data for a state health department. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2024
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49. Mixed methods approach to examining the implementation experience of a phone-based survey for a SARS-CoV-2 test-negative case-control study in California.
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Fukui, Nozomi, Li, Sophia S., DeGuzman, Jennifer, Myers, Jennifer F., Openshaw, John, Sharma, Anjali, Watt, James, Lewnard, Joseph A., Jain, Seema, Andrejko, Kristin L., and Pry, Jake M.
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CASE-control method ,COVID-19 ,GRIEF therapy ,SARS-CoV-2 ,ODDS ratio ,COVID-19 pandemic - Abstract
Objective: To describe the implementation of a test-negative design case-control study in California during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Study design: Test-negative case-control study Methods: Between February 24, 2021 ‐ February 24, 2022, a team of 34 interviewers called 38,470 Californians, enrolling 1,885 that tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 (cases) and 1,871 testing negative for SARS-CoV-2 (controls) for 20-minute telephone survey. We estimated adjusted odds ratios for answering the phone and consenting to participate using mixed effects logistic regression. We used a web-based anonymous survey to compile interviewer experiences. Results: Cases had 1.29-fold (95% CI: 1.24–1.35) higher adjusted odds of answering the phone and 1.69-fold (1.56–1.83) higher adjusted odds of consenting to participate compared to controls. Calls placed from 4pm to 6pm had the highest adjusted odds of being answered. Some interviewers experienced mental wellness challenges interacting with participants with physical (e.g., food, shelter, etc.) and emotional (e.g., grief counseling) needs, and enduring verbal harassment from individuals called. Conclusions: Calls placed during afternoon hours may optimize response rate when enrolling controls to a case-control study during a public health emergency response. Proactive check-ins and continual collection of interviewer experience(s) and may help maintain mental wellbeing of investigation workforce. Remaining adaptive to the dynamic needs of the investigation team is critical to a successful study, especially in emergent public health crises, like that represented by the COVID-19 pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2024
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50. Post-traumatic stress in older, community-dwelling adults with hypertension during the COVID-19 pandemic: An investigation of pre-pandemic sociodemographic, health, and vascular and inflammatory biomarker predictors.
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Troyer, Emily A, Kohn, Jordan N, Castillo, Monica Feliz R, Lobo, Judith D, Sanchez, Yaniel Ramirez, Ang, Gavrila, Cirilo, Anthony, Leal, Juan Andrew, Pruitt, Christopher, Walker, Amanda L, Wilson, Kathleen L, Pung, Meredith A, Redwine, Laura S, and Hong, Suzi
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POST-traumatic stress disorder ,RISK assessment ,INDEPENDENT living ,MENTAL health ,RESEARCH funding ,HYPERTENSION ,ANXIETY ,SOCIODEMOGRAPHIC factors ,INFLAMMATION ,COMPARATIVE studies ,COVID-19 pandemic ,BIOMARKERS ,ACTIVITIES of daily living ,ACTIVE aging - Abstract
COVID-19 pandemic-related traumatic stress (PRTS) symptoms are reported in various populations, but risk factors in older adults with chronic medical conditions, remain understudied. We therefore examined correlates and pre-pandemic predictors of PRTS in older adults with hypertension during COVID-19. Participants in California, aged 61–92 years (n = 95), participated in a pre-pandemic healthy aging trial and later completed a COVID-19 assessment (May to September 2020). Those experiencing ⩾1 PRTS symptom (n = 40), and those without PRTS symptoms (n = 55), were compared. The PRTS+ group had poorer mental and general health and greater impairment in instrumental activities of daily living. Pre-pandemic biomarkers of vascular inflammation did not predict increased odds of PRTS; however, greater pre-pandemic anxiety and female gender did predict PRTS during COVID-19. Our findings highlight PRTS as a threat to healthy aging in older adults with hypertension; targeted approaches are needed to mitigate this burden, particularly for females and those with pre-existing anxiety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2024
- Full Text
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