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Background: Multimorbidity is associated with premature mortality and excess health care costs. The burden of multimorbidity is highest among patients with cancer, yet trends and determinants of multimorbidity over time are poorly understood., Methods: Via Medicare claims linked to Cancer Prevention Study II data, group-based trajectory modeling was used to compare National Cancer Institute comorbidity index score trends for cancer survivors and older adults without a cancer history. Among cancer survivors, multinomial logistic regression analyses evaluated associations between demographics, health behaviors, and comorbidity trajectories., Results: In 82,754 participants (mean age, 71.6 years [SD, 5.1 years]; 56.9% female), cancer survivors (n = 11,265) were more likely than older adults without a cancer history to experience the riskiest comorbidity trajectories: (1) steady, high comorbidity scores (remain high; odds ratio [OR], 1.36; 95% CI, 1.29-1.45), and (2) high scores that increased over time (start high and increase; OR, 1.51; 95% CI, 1.38-1.65). Cancer survivors who were physically active postdiagnosis were less likely to fall into these two trajectories (OR, 0.73; 95% CI, 0.64-0.84, remain high; OR, 0.42; 95% CI, 0.33-0.53, start high and increase) compared to inactive survivors. Cancer survivors with obesity were more likely to have a trajectory that started high and increased (OR, 2.83; 95% CI, 2.32-3.45 vs. normal weight), although being physically active offset some obesity-related risk. Cancer survivors who smoked postdiagnosis were also six times more likely to have trajectories that started high and increased (OR, 6.86; 95% CI, 4.41-10.66 vs. never smokers)., Conclusions: Older cancer survivors are more likely to have multiple comorbidities accumulated at a faster pace than older adults without a history of cancer. Weight management, physical activity, and smoking avoidance postdiagnosis may attenuate that trend., (© 2023 American Cancer Society.)

Importance: The number of cancer survivors living in the US is projected to be 26.1 million by 2040. Cancer survivors may be at increased risk of bone fractures, but research is limited in several important ways., Objective: To investigate the associations of cancer diagnoses, including time since diagnosis and stage at diagnosis, with risks of pelvic, radial, and vertebral fractures (separately and combined) among older cancer survivors and compared with fracture risk among older adults without a history of cancer. Secondarily, to examine differences in risk of fracture stratified by modifiable behaviors, treatment, and cancer type., Design, Setting, and Participants: This longitudinal cohort study used data from 92 431 older adults in the US Cancer Prevention Study II Nutrition Cohort linked with 1999 to 2017 Medicare claims. Data were analyzed from July 15, 2021, to May 3, 2022., Exposures: Cancer history, time since cancer diagnosis, and stage at cancer diagnosis., Main Outcomes and Measures: Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% CIs for the risk of pelvic, radial, vertebral, and total frailty-related fractures were estimated using multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression. Stratification was used for secondary aims., Results: Among 92 431 participants (mean [SD] age, was 69.4 [6.0] years, 51 820 [56%] women, and 90 458 [97.9%] White], 12 943 participants experienced a frailty-related bone fracture. Compared with participants without a history of cancer, cancer survivors who were diagnosed 1 to less than 5 years earlier with advanced stage cancer had higher risk of fracture (HR, 2.12; 95% CI, 1.75-2.58). The higher fracture risk in cancer survivors with recent advanced stage diagnosis (vs no cancer) was driven largely by vertebral (HR, 2.46; 95% CI, 1.93-3.13) and pelvic (HR, 2.46; 95% CI, 1.84-3.29) fracture sites. Compared with cancer survivors who did not receive chemotherapy, survivors who received chemotherapy were more likely to have a fracture; this association was stronger within 5 years of diagnosis (HR, 1.31; 95% CI, 1.09-1.57) than 5 or more years after diagnosis (HR, 1.22; 95% CI, 0.99-1.51). Although the HR for risk of fracture was lower among physically active cancer survivors 5 or more years after diagnosis (HR, 0.76; 95% CI, 0.54-1.07), this result was not statistically significant, whereas current smoking was significantly associated with higher risk of fracture (HR, 2.27; 95% CI, 1.55-3.33)., Conclusions and Relevance: Findings from this cohort study suggest that older adults with a history of cancer may benefit from clinical guidance on prevention of frailty-related fractures. If study findings are replicated, fracture prevention programs for survivors might include referrals for physical activity with cancer exercise professionals and smoking cessation programs.

Purpose: Understanding racial/ethnic and nativity disparities in physical activity (PA) is important, as certain subgroups bear a disproportionate burden of physical inactivity-related diseases. This descriptive study compared mean leisure-time moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity (LTMVPA) by race/ethnicity and nativity., Methods: The Cancer Prevention Study-3 (78.1% women; age, 47.9 ± 9.7 yr) includes 4722 (1.9%) Asian/Pacific Islander; 1232 (0.5%) Black/Indigenous (non-White) Latino; 16,041 (6.5%) White Latino; 9295 (3.8%) non-Latino Black; 2623 (1.1%) Indigenous American; and 210,504 (85.7%) non-Latino White participants across the United States and Puerto Rico. Participants completed validated LTMVPA and 24-h time use surveys at enrollment (2006-2013). Differences in LTMVPA across race/ethnicity and nativity were examined by ANCOVA with paired Tukey tests adjusting for age and sex. The proportion of time spent sitting, sleeping, and on PA by race/ethnicity was also compared., Results: There were significant differences in LTMVPA by race/ethnicity (race main effect, P < 0.001; nativity, P = 0.072; interaction, P < 0.001). Pairwise comparisons showed that White participants born abroad were the most active (23.8 MET-h·wk-1) and non-White Latino participants born abroad were the least active (17.9 MET-h·wk-1). Among Latinos, participants born in Puerto Rico were 6.6-7.3 MET-h·wk-1 less active than participants born in Mexico, the United States/Canada, or other countries. There were variations in time use by race/ethnicity, with the largest difference in time spent sitting while watching TV. Black participants spent 14.8% of the day (~3.5 h) sitting watching TV, which was 78 min longer than Asian/Pacific Islander participants., Conclusions: This study suggests that there are differences in LTMVPA accumulation by race, ethnicity, and nativity. Results can be used to identify demographic groups that may benefit from culturally tailored PA interventions., (Copyright © 2022 by the American College of Sports Medicine.)

Introduction: Emergency medicine (EM) physicians serve at the frontline of disasters in our communities. The 2016 Model of Clinical Practice according to the American Board of EM identifies disaster management as an integral task of EM physicians. We described a low-cost and feasible tabletop exercise to implement such training for EM residents., Methods: The exercise took place during 2 hours of resident didactic time. A lecture introduced the incident command system (ICS) and triage concepts, followed by a tabletop scenario with a map of a disaster scene or emergency department. Facilitators presented situational prompts of tasks for residents to address during the exercise. These exposed residents to challenges in disaster scenarios, such as surge and limited resources. The exercise concluded with a debrief and short lecture reviewing scenario-specific topics and challenges. Residents completed an online pre- and postexercise assessment, evaluating knowledge and perceptions of disaster scenario management., Results: Eighteen residents participated in this exercise. The response rates to the pre- and postsurvey were 76% and 72% respectively. Using a Mann Whitney U test, no statistically significant difference was demonstrated on the medical knowledge component of the survey. There was, however, a statistically significant increase in perceived confidence of the residents' ability to manage disaster incidents., Discussion: We developed a simple exercise that is an easily adaptable and practical option for introduction to disaster preparedness training. These concepts are difficult to teach and assess among learners, however it remains an important component of education for EM physicians-in-training., (© 2021 Sena et al.)

Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine the attitudes and behaviors of emergency medical technicians (EMTs) and Paramedics when faced with the decision to care for patients with suspected Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) and to illicit suggestions for improvement of infectious disease (ID) preparedness. Methods: A convenience sample of 22 EMT/Paramedics were recruited from an emergency department at one of the designated Ebola centers. Each provider participated in one of three on-site focus groups. Participants answered questions about how they gained their knowledge, felt about caring for EVD patients, made decisions about caring for EVD patients, and suggestions for improvement of ID preparedness. Focus groups were recorded, transcribed, and coded using inductive content analysis. Results: Analysis revealed five prominent themes: reactions to scare, education/training, danger, decision making, and suggestions for future responses. Overall, first responders were excited to be a part of the response to EVD. They were more comfortable caring for EVD patients if they received adequate education and transparency from the administration. This resulted in a decreased perceived danger of the disease and decreased hesitancy when caring for EVD patients. However, those that expressed the most hesitancy also expressed the most emotional distress. Suggestions for improvement of ID preparedness included continuing education, tiered training models, peer training models, collaboration between emergency medical services (EMS) systems, better communication between departments, and the development of an infectious disease response team. Conclusions: Although first responders were excited to be a part of the response to EVD, this did not come without hesitation and emotional distress. Some of these concerns may be mitigated by first providing a clear definition of "duty to care," followed by interventions such as the development of clear and consistent ID preparedness training and interventions that address the emotional distress experienced by these providers.

Problem/condition: State and local public health departments report hundreds of foodborne illness outbreaks each year to CDC and are primarily responsible for investigations of these outbreaks. Typically, investigations involve epidemiology, laboratory, and environmental health components. Health departments voluntarily report epidemiologic and laboratory data from their foodborne illness outbreak investigations to CDC through the Foodborne Disease Outbreak Surveillance System (FDOSS); however, minimal environmental health data from outbreak investigations are reported to FDOSS., Period Covered: 2014-2016., Description of System: In 2014, CDC launched the National Environmental Assessment Reporting System (NEARS) to complement FDOSS surveillance and to use these data to enhance prevention efforts. State and local health departments voluntarily report data from their foodborne illness outbreak investigations of retail food establishments. These data include characteristics of foodborne illness outbreaks (e.g., agent), characteristics of establishments with outbreaks (e.g., number of meals served daily), food safety policies and practices of these establishments (e.g., glove use policies), and characteristics of outbreak investigations (e.g., timeliness of investigation activities). NEARS is the only available data source that includes characteristics of retail establishments with foodborne illness outbreaks., Results: During 2014-2016, a total of 16 state and local public health departments reported data to NEARS on 404 foodborne illness outbreaks at retail establishments. The majority of outbreaks with a suspected or confirmed agent were caused by norovirus (61.1%). The majority of outbreaks with identified contributing factors had at least one factor associated with food contamination by a worker who was ill or infectious (58.6%). Almost half (47.4%) of establishments with outbreaks had a written policy excluding ill workers from handling food or working. Approximately one third (27.7%) had a written disposable glove use policy. Paid sick leave was available for at least one worker in 38.3% of establishments. For most establishments with outbreaks (68.7%), environmental health investigators initiated their component of the investigation soon after learning about the outbreak (i.e., the same day) and completed their component in one or two visits to the establishment (75.0%). However, in certain instances, contacting the establishment and completing the environmental health component of the investigation occurred much later (>8 days)., Interpretation: Most outbreaks reported to NEARS were caused by norovirus, and contamination of food by workers who were ill or infectious contributed to more than half of outbreaks with contributing factors; these findings are consistent with findings from other national outbreak data sets and highlight the role of workers in foodborne illness outbreaks. The relative lack of written policies for ill workers and glove use and paid sick leave for workers in establishments with outbreaks indicates gaps in food safety practices that might have a role in outbreak prevention. The environmental health component of the investigation for most outbreaks was initiated quickly, yet the longer initiation timeframe for certain outbreaks suggests the need for improvement., Public Health Action: Retail establishments can reduce viral foodborne illness outbreaks by protecting food from contamination through proper hand hygiene and excluding workers who are ill or infectious from working. NEARS data can help prioritize training and interventions for state and local food safety programs and the retail food establishment industry by identifying gaps in food safety policies and practices and types of establishments vulnerable to outbreaks. Improvement of certain outbreak investigation practices (e.g., delayed initiation of environmental health investigations) can accelerate identification of the agent and implementation of interventions. Future analysis comparing establishments with and without outbreaks will contribute knowledge about how establishments' characteristics and food safety policies and practices relate to foodborne illness outbreaks and provide information to develop effective prevention approaches., Competing Interests: No conflicts of interest were reported.