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Although the benefits of community-based participatory research (CBPR) for community and university partners have been well documented, these have mostly focused on disseminating research findings. However, how CBPR can function as a useful community organizing tool remains understudied. We present the CBPR process of an environmental health survey conducted by a team of community organizers and academic researchers in Richmond, CA, to describe how survey research can be aligned with community organizing principles and methods. Through a case study of our Richmond health survey that documented and quantified neighborhood concerns and health problems, we describe and analyze three steps through which community organizing and CBPR align: community-driven hypothesis generation and testing, how community surveyors are trained and study participants are recruited, and how results are applied and disseminated to policy advocacy and community action. Our case study of surveying for environmental health justice demonstrates how CBPR can be used for community organizing by: (1) building community capacity in research methods, literacy, and numeracy through training community residents as surveyors and data analysis advisors; (2) supporting organizing goals with community-driven hypothesis generation and hypothesis testing; (3) using research findings to determine future issues to prioritize; and (4) developing strategic initiatives accordingly. We recommend ensuring adequate, funded time for CBPR partners to apply their research findings toward community organizing goals and strategic planning for future community organizing and research.

ObjectiveAlthough several studies have found an association between excessive gestational weight gain (GWG) and obesity later in life, to the best of our knowledge, no studies have explored the role of GWG events across the life course.Design and methodsWe describe how the prevalence of midlife obesity (BMI⩾30 at age 40 or 41) among women varies by life course patterns of GWG (using 2009 IOM guidelines) in the USA's National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 cohort.ResultsAmong women who reported 1-3 births before age 40, the prevalence of midlife obesity increased with a rising number of excessive GWG events: from none (23.4%, n=875) to one (37.6%, n=707), from none (23.4%, n=875) to two (46.8%, n=427) and from none (23.4%, n=875) to three (54.6%, n=108), P

Objectives: Typical measures of childhood socioeconomic status (SES), such as father's occupation, have limited the ability to elucidate mechanisms by which childhood SES affects adult health. Mechanisms could include schooling experiences or work opportun

Objective: The present study examines sociopolitical stress, coping, and well-being among college students. Participants: Young adult college students (N = 588; ages 18-29; 72% cisgender women) from 10 universities in the USA participated in this study. Methods: Participants completed a 45-minute online survey with closed-ended and open-ended questions, administered via Qualtrics. Results: Election-related sociopolitical stress was high with notable differences across students' demographic backgrounds (e.g., Hispanic/Latinx students, women, and sexual minority students reported high sociopolitical stress). Among those who reported being stressed by the election (N = 448), closed-ended and open-ended data reveal coping strategies including self-care, drugs and alcohol, and further civic action/political participation. Higher sociopolitical stress predicted more depression and many coping strategies were related with flourishing. Conclusions: Young adult college students are experiencing election-related sociopolitical stress and are coping in different ways. More work is needed to understand what coping strategies support well-being. Implications for colleges are discussed.

Long COVID is a debilitating, multisystemic illness following a SARS-CoV-2 infection whose duration may be indefinite. Over four years into the pandemic, little knowledge has been generated from clinical trials. We analyzed the information available on ClinicalTrials.gov, and found that the rigor and focus of trials vary widely, and that the majority test non-pharmacological interventions with insufficient evidence. We highlight promising trials underway, and encourage the proliferation of clinical trials for treating Long COVID and other infection-associated chronic conditions and illnesses (IACCIs). We recommend several guidelines for Long COVID trials: First, pharmaceutical trials with potentially curative, primary interventions should be prioritized, and both drug repurposing and new drug development should be pursued. Second, study designs should be both rigorous and accessible, e.g., triple-blinded randomized trials that can be conducted remotely, without participants needing to leave their homes. Third, studies should have multiple illness comparator cohorts for IACCIs such as myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME/CFS) and dysautonomia, and screen for the full spectrum of symptomatology and pathologies of these illnesses. Fourth, studies should consider inclusion/exclusion criteria with an eye towards equity and breadth of representation, including participants of all races, ethnicities, and genders most impacted by COVID-19, and including all levels of illness severity. Fifth, involving patient-researchers in all aspects of studies brings immensely valuable perspectives that will increase the impact of trials. We also encourage the development of efficient clinical trial designs including methods to study several therapies in parallel., 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.)

Long COVID is a chronic and often disabling illness with long-term consequences. Although progress has been made in the clinical characterization of long COVID, no approved treatments exist and disconnects between patients and researchers threaten to hinder future progress. Incorporating patients as active collaborators in long COVID research can bridge the gap and accelerate progress toward treatments and cures., Competing Interests: Declaration of interests The authors have no competing interests to declare., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Critical feminist research addresses social inequities, encourages equitable partnerships between researchers and participants, and acknowledges that research can be inherently political. Building upon critical feminist research practices, community-based participatory research, and social and structural epidemiology, we propose the approach of critical feminist epidemiology. A critical feminist epidemiology approach can study community and population health inequities with an eye towards identifying interventions that reduce inequities, through research processes that center the lived experiences of people from minoritized genders. We describe how our interdisciplinary, community-led team used a critical feminist epidemiology approach for an applied public health research project. Mujeres Unidas y Activas, a community organizing non-profit led by and for Latina and Indigenous immigrant women, partnered with academic researchers to conduct community-led research around how their approach to building community power affected the health and wellbeing of organization members and their families. Critical feminist epidemiology is a promising approach for conducting research that is grounded in and relevant to the lives of women and gender expansive people. Building upon social epidemiology and community-based participatory research, critical feminist epidemiology can be a useful research approach to generate novel evidence to inform action towards health equity for communities and populations., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Purpose: The aim of this review was to elucidate treatment preferences for ocular surface squamous neoplasia and to examine the changes in treatment modalities over the past 2 decades., Methods: An electronic survey was distributed to members of The Cornea Society, Ocular Microbiology and Immunology Group, and 4 international corneal specialist listservs. Questions examined medical and surgical treatment preferences, and results were compared with surveys administered in 2003 and 2012., Results: A total of 285 individuals responded to the survey; 90% of respondents were self-classified as corneal specialists. Seventy-three percent reported using primary topical monotherapy to treat ocular surface squamous neoplasia as compared with 58% in 2012 ( P = 0.008). Compared with 2003, the percentage use of topical interferon significantly increased ( P < 0.0001) from 14% to 55%, 5-fluorouracil increased ( P < 0.0001) from 5% to 23%, and mitomycin C decreased ( P < 0.0001) from 76% to 19% as a primary monotherapy. The frequency of performing excision without the use of postoperative adjunctive medical therapy decreased significantly ( P < 0.0001), from 66% to 26% for lesions <2 mm, 64% to 12% for lesions between 2 and 8 mm, and 47% to 5% for lesions >8 mm from 2003 to 2022. More clinicians initiated topical immuno/chemotherapy without performing a biopsy as compared to 2003 (31% vs. 11%, P < 0.0001)., Conclusions: These results demonstrate a paradigm shift in the management of ocular surface squamous neoplasia. The use of primary medical therapy as a first approach has significantly increased, with a reduction in the frequency of performing surgical excision alone., Competing Interests: C. L. Karp and A. Galor have a pending PCT/US2022/029842 with the University of Miami. C. L. Karp is on the medical advisory board for Interfeen Biologics, after the writing of this manuscript. J. Chodosh is a consultant for the US FDA. The remaining authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2024 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Community-based participatory research coproduces knowledge by emphasizing bidirectional exchanges between participants, communities, and researchers., Purpose, Research Design, and Study Sample: We highlight three studies in historically marginalized communities on separate continents (Richmond, CA, USA; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Marseille industrial zone, France) to exemplify how community-based participatory research improves research, offers tangible community benefits, and values residents more than traditional research methods., Data Analysis: We provide insights into the process of conducting meaningful community-based participatory epidemiologic research., Results: In each of these communities, community-based participatory research led to high-quality research that helped inform context-appropriate policies and programs to improve health and advance health equity in these communities., Conclusions: We recommend that researchers consistently engage with community members during all phases of research so that they can engage more participants, more deeply in the research process, build local capacity, improve data collection and data quality, as well as increase our understanding of research findings to inform future applied research and practice., Competing Interests: Declaration of conflicting interestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Over 10 million uninsured individuals are eligible for subsidized health insurance coverage through the Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplaces, and millions more were projected to become eligible with the end of the federal COVID-19 Public Health Emergency in 2023. Individual studies on behaviorally informed interventions designed to encourage enrollment suggest that some are more effective than others. This study summarizes evidence on the efficacy of these interventions and suggests which administrative burdens might be most relevant for potential enrollees. Published and unpublished studies were identified through a systematic review of studies assessing the impact of behaviorally informed interventions on ACA marketplace enrollment from 2014 to 2022. Thirty-four studies comprising over 18 million participants were included (32 randomized controlled trials and 2 quasiexperimental studies). At the time of data extraction, 8 were published. Twenty-seven of the studies qualified for inclusion in a meta-analysis, which found that the average rate of enrollment was about 1 percentage point higher for those who received an intervention (0.009, P < 0.001), a 24% increase relative to control households; for every 1000 people who receive an intervention, that would correspond to about 9 additional enrollees. When stratifying by intervention intensity, support-based interventions increased enrollment by 2 percentage points (0.020, P = 0.004), while information-based interventions increased enrollment by 0.6 percentage points (0.006, P < 0.001). The meta-analysis found that behaviorally informed interventions can increase ACA marketplace enrollment. Interventions aimed at alleviating compliance costs by providing enrollment support were about three times as effective as information alone.

The COVID-19 pandemic drastically affected higher education and higher education students around the world, but few studies of college students' experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic have been conducted in Latin America. This study describes the COVID-19-related experiences and perspectives of Peruvian college students. We surveyed 3,427 full-time college students (average age: 23 years) attending a multi-campus Peruvian university in fall 2020. Participants were recruited through the digital platform of the learning management system at their university, email, and social media. We asked participants how they were managing risks related to COVID-19; the continuity of social, educational, and work activities; and the psychological and economic impacts of the pandemic on their lives. Since March 2020, 73.0% of participants reported COVID-19-related symptoms, but only 33.9% were tested for COVID-19. During the national quarantine imposed by the Peruvian government (March 15-June 30, 2020), 64.3% of participants remained in their house. Furthermore, while 44.0% of participants were working in February 2020 (95% CI: [41.7%, 46.4%]), only 23.6% (95% CI: [21.7%, 25.7%]) were working immediately after the pandemic began (i.e., at the end of April 2020). Participants were more stressed about the health and educational implications of COVID-19 for Peruvian society and their families than about themselves. The public health, economic, and educational implications of COVID-19 on college students are continuing to unfold. This study informed Peruvian higher education institutions' continued response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the progressive return to postpandemic activities, as well as other future pandemics and other crises., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Objective: To examine inequalities in sleep quality during the COVID-19 pandemic by gender, sexual orientation, race/ethnicity, and socioeconomic position (SEP), and test associations between discrimination and sleep quality in a national longitudinal cohort of emerging adult college students., Participants: Participants were enrolled in college full-time and were aged 18-22 at baseline., Methods: Participants completed online surveys in spring 2020 ( N  = 707) and summer 2021 ( n  = 313). Measures included the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and the Everyday Discrimination Scale., Results: Most students reported poor sleep quality (78% in 2020; 82% in 2021) and those from marginalized groups generally experienced worse sleep quality. Discrimination was associated with poorer concurrent sleep quality at both time points., Conclusions: Sleep inequalities among college students continued to manifest during the pandemic, even when students were not necessarily on campus. Colleges should take a multi-pronged approach to promote sleep quality through individual, community, and institutional interventions.

Early detection of cognitive and functional decline is difficult given that current tools are insensitive to subtle changes. The present study evaluated whether cognitive dispersion on neuropsychological testing improved prediction of objectively assessed daily functioning using unobtrusive monitoring technologies. Hierarchical linear regression was used to evaluate whether cognitive dispersion added incremental information beyond mean neuropsychological performance in the prediction of objectively assessed IADLs (i.e., computer use, pillbox use, driving) in a sample of 104 community-dwelling older adults without dementia (M age  = 74.59, 38.5% Female, 90.4% White). Adjusting for age, sex, education, and mean global cognitive performance, cognitive dispersion improved prediction of average daily computer use duration (R 2 Δ = 0.100, F Change, p  = 0.005), computer use duration variability (R 2 Δ = 0.089, F Change p  = 0.009), and average daily duration of nighttime driving (R 2 Δ = 0.072, F Change p  = 0.013). These results suggest cognitive dispersion may improve prediction of objectively assessed functional changes in older adults without dementia., Competing Interests: The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose. Author disclosures are available in the supporting information., (© 2024 The Authors. Alzheimer's & Dementia: Diagnosis, Assessment & Disease Monitoring published by Wiley Periodicals, LLC on behalf of Alzheimer's Association.)

Background: To examine ocular symptoms and signs of veterans with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) diagnosis, ME/CFS symptoms, and controls., Methods: This was a prospective, cross-sectional study of 124 South Florida veterans in active duty during the Gulf War era. Participants were recruited at an ophthalmology clinic at the Miami Veterans Affairs Hospital and evaluated for a diagnosis of ME/CFS, or symptoms of ME/CFS (intermediate fatigue, IF) using the Canadian Consensus criteria. Ocular symptoms were assessed via standardised questionnaires and signs via comprehensive slit lamp examination. Inflammatory blood markers were analysed and compared across groups., Results: Mean age was 55.1 ± 4.7 years, 88.7% identified as male, 58.1% as White, and 39.5% as Hispanic. Ocular symptoms were more severe in the ME/CFS (n = 32) and IF (n = 48) groups compared to controls (n = 44) across dry eye (DE; Ocular Surface Disease Index [OSDI]: 48.9 ± 22.3 vs. 38.8 ± 23.3 vs. 19.1 ± 17.8, p < 0.001; 5 item Dry Eye Questionnaire [DEQ-5]: 10.8 ± 3.9 vs. 10.0 ± 4.6 vs. 6.6 ± 4.2, p < 0.001) and pain-specific questionnaires (Numerical Rating Scale 1-10 [NRS] right now: 2.4 ± 2.8 vs. 2.4 ± 2.9 vs 0.9 ± 1.5; p = 0.007; Neuropathic Pain Symptom Inventory modified for the Eye [NPSI-E]: 23.0 ± 18.6 vs. 19.8 ± 19.1 vs. 6.5 ± 9.0, p < 0.001). Ocular surface parameters and blood markers of inflammation were generally similar across groups., Conclusion: Individuals with ME/CFS report increased ocular pain but similar DE signs, suggesting that mechanisms beyond the ocular surface contribute to symptoms., (© 2023 The Authors. Clinical & Experimental Ophthalmology published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists. This article has been contributed to by U.S. Government employees and their work is in the public domain in the USA.)

Sociopolitical stress arises in reaction to awareness of, exposure to, and/or involvement in political events. Among a longitudinal cohort of 628 college students from 10 universities across the U.S., we explored trajectories of sociopolitical stress during the 2020 United States presidential election season and examined relationships to psychological well-being. Growth mixture modeling classified our sample into four subgroups each with distinct trajectories of sociopolitical stress: High and Decreasing , Moderate and Increasing , Consistently Low , and High-to-Low . Participants with lower levels of sociopolitical stress expressed higher psychological well-being (high flourishing, high optimism, low anxiety symptoms, low depressive symptoms). The High and Decreasing subgroup was associated with the highest levels of civic action. Participants in the High and Decreasing trajectory were 20 times more likely to identify as LGBQ+, and 4 times more likely to be a woman or a transgender/gender diverse student, compared to participants in the Consistently Low subgroup., Competing Interests: We have no conflicts of interest to disclose., (© 2023 The Authors.)

We review research on gendered patterns of internalizing behaviors in adolescents and emerging adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. We find that young women reported worse mental health than young men. Transgender and gender-diverse (TGD) youth are underrepresented in mental health research but often report the highest internalizing disorders of any gender group. Finally, we use intersectionality as a lens to acknowledge how gender and other social identities (e.g., race, socioeconomic position) impact mental health. Overall, this review points to gender as a meaningful social construct that is relevant for understanding young people's internalizing symptoms during the pandemic. We call attention to the structural factors underlying gender disparities and the need for intersectionality-informed approaches to work towards mental health equity., 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. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Purpose: To validate an algorithm quantifying activated dendritic cells (aDCs) using in-vivo confocal microscopy (IVCM) images., Methods: IVCM images obtained at the Miami Veterans Affairs Hospital were retrospectively analyzed. ADCs were quantified both with an automated algorithm and manually. Intra-class-correlation (ICC) and a Bland-Altman plot were used to compare automated and manual counts. As a secondary analysis, individuals were grouped by Dry Eye (DE) subtype: 1) aqueous-tear deficiency (ATD; Schirmer's test ≤5 mm); 2) evaporative DE (EDE; TBUT≤5s); or 3) control (Schirmer's test>5 mm; TBUT>5s) and ICCs were re-examined., Results: 173 non-overlapping images from 86 individuals were included in this study. The mean age was 55.2 ± 16.7 years; 77.9% were male; 20 had ATD; 18 EDE and 37 were controls. The mean number of aDCs in the central cornea quantified automatically was 0.83 ± 1.33 cells/image and manually was 1.03 ± 1.65 cells/image. A total of 143 aDCs were identified by the automated algorithm and 178 aDCs were identified manually. While a Bland-Altman plot indicated a small difference between the two methods (0.19, p < 0.01), the ICC of 0.80 (p = 0.01) demonstrated excellent agreement. Secondarily, similar results were found by DE type with an ICC of 0.75 (p = 0.01) for the ATD group, 0.80 (p = 0.01) for EDE, and 0.82 (p = 0.01) for controls., Conclusions: Quantification of aDCs within the central cornea may be successfully estimated using an automated machine learning based algorithm. While this study suggests that analysis using artificial intelligence has comparable results with manual quantification, further longitudinal research to validate our findings in more diverse populations may be warranted., (Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Long COVID disproportionately affects premenopausal women, but relatively few studies have examined Long COVID's impact on female reproductive health. We conduct a review of the literature documenting the female reproductive health impacts of Long COVID which may include disruptions to the menstrual cycle, gonadal function, ovarian sufficiency, menopause, and fertility, as well as symptom exacerbation around menstruation. Given limited research, we also review the reproductive health impacts of overlapping and associated illnesses including myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), connective tissue disorders like Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS), and endometriosis, as these illnesses may help to elucidate reproductive health conditions in Long COVID. These associated illnesses, whose patients are 70%-80% women, have increased rates of dysmenorrhea, amenorrhea, oligomenorrhea, dyspareunia, endometriosis, infertility, vulvodynia, intermenstrual bleeding, ovarian cysts, uterine fibroids and bleeding, pelvic congestion syndrome, gynecological surgeries, and adverse pregnancy complications such as preeclampsia, maternal mortality, and premature birth. Additionally, in Long COVID and associated illnesses, symptoms can be impacted by the menstrual cycle, pregnancy, and menopause. We propose priorities for future research and reproductive healthcare in Long COVID based on a review of the literature. These include screening Long COVID patients for comorbid and associated conditions; studying the impacts of the menstrual cycle, pregnancy, and menopause on symptoms and illness progression; uncovering the role of sex differences and sex hormones in Long COVID and associated illnesses; and addressing historical research and healthcare inequities that have contributed to detrimental knowledge gaps for this patient population., 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., (© 2023 Pollack, von Saltza, McCorkell, Santos, Hultman, Cohen and Soares.)

The COVID-19 pandemic and violence against people of Color during 2020 brought troubling racial inequities to the forefront of American discourse. In line with the Critical Consciousness (CC) and Social Justice Youth Development (SJYD) frameworks, emerging adults may have developed their capacity for critical reflection, motivation, and action against systemic inequities. We drew from interviews with 27 emerging adults (ages 18-23) across the US, and used thematic analysis to explore differences in their reflections, motivations to act, and actions based on their racial/ethnic identification. We found nuanced variability in their critical reflections based on self, social, or global awareness and experiences of marginalization. White and Asian emerging adults used vague language or expressed feeling their reflections were insufficient. Black and Latinx emerging adults emphasized the importance of education and raising awareness. Although all emerging adults took action based on a sense of duty, few engaged in critical action; decisions to take in-person action varied based on whether they viewed racism or COVID-19 as a greater threat. Findings demonstrate that emerging adults' experiences of racialization may have related to their CC development. We share implications for community psychologists conducting antiracist research addressing White fragility and dismantling racial hierarchy., (© 2023 The Authors. American Journal of Community Psychology published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Society for Community Research and Action.)

Objectives: We show that participatory research approaches can be a useful tool across disciplines and data collection methods to explore the socio-exposome near one of the largest industrial harbors in Europe. We analyzed resident involvement in each project and their capacity to affect structural changes., Methods: Longitudinal participatory environmental monitoring studies on lichens, petunias, aquatic systems and groundwater were conducted under the program VOCE (Volunteers for the Citizens' Observation of the Environment), which mobilized nearly 100 volunteers to collect and report data. A community-based participatory health survey, Fos EPSEAL was also carried out during the same period. We describe citizens' involvement in each study following Davis and Ramirez-Andreotta's (2021) 'best practice' grid. We also use residents' insights to refine understanding of the socio-exposome., Results: The region is significantly impacted by industrial pollution and fenceline communities are disproportionately exposed. The community-based participatory health survey documented negative health outcomes among the residents, including a higher prevalence of chronic symptoms and diabetes (e.g., 11.9%) in the Fos-Berre Lagoon region than in other communities. This methodology shows the benefits of the co-production of knowledge in environmental health: not only does it enable epistemological transformations favorable to the vulnerable population, but it also triggered public action (i.e., media and public authorities' attention leading to official expertise reports, filing of collective complaints before the courts)., Conclusion: This body of multiple participatory research studies over time is a useful approach to better understand the socio-exposome and health issues in an industrial zone., 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 Inc. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Emotional and behavioral problems are growing among children ages birth to five, and racial/ethnic and socioeconomic disparities exist. Comprehensive, culturally responsive, family-driven systems of care, such as the one operated by California's diverse, urban Alameda County, offer one potential intervention., Methods: We used client-level service data ( n = 496 children) to calculate descriptive statistics and regression analyses (including multilevel models to account for observations for the same client at multiple points in time). We estimated the prevalence of mental health issues and assessed the association between the length of time using services and emotional and behavioral functioning., Results: Comprehensive mental health services and supports were associated with improved emotional and behavioral functioning outcomes for children over time, even after controlling for other risk factors., Discussion: Systems of care appear to support the multidimensional functioning of children and their families.

This study examined the role of demographics, civic beliefs, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in association with distinct forms of civic participation. College students were recruited across 10 institutions of higher education to complete an online survey. Bivariate, multivariable linear, and logistic regressions were performed. Findings indicated that participants from traditionally marginalized backgrounds were more likely to engage in systemchallenging forms of civic participation and community engagement than those from more privileged backgrounds. Participants who rated high in critical reflection, viewed racism as a key issue, and were heavily impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic were also more likely to engage in system-challenging forms of civic participation. Participants who endorsed beliefs supporting current systems of power were more likely to report they intended to vote. Results highlight implications for antiracist activism, community engagement, and traditional political civic behaviors., (© 2022 The Authors. Journal of Community Psychology published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Background/aim: An objective marker is needed to detect when corneal nerve abnormalities underlie neuropathic corneal pain (NCP), as symptoms often overlap with those of dry eye (DE). This study evaluated microneuroma (MN) frequency in various populations and investigated relationships between MN presence and DE clinical features in individuals with DE symptoms but without a history of refractive surgery, in order to eliminate refractive surgery as a potential confounder of nerve abnormalities., Methods: This was a retrospective study that included individuals with and without DE symptoms who underwent a clinical evaluation for DE (symptom surveys and ocular surface evaluation) and in vivo confocal microscopy imaging. DE clinical features (including those suggestive of neuropathic pain) were compared based on MN presence using t-tests, χ 2 analyses and Pearson's correlation coefficients with 0.05 alpha level., Results: MN frequencies did not significantly differ between individuals with DE symptoms (Dry Eye Questionnaire 5 score ≥6) and a history of refractive surgery (n=1/16, 6%), individuals with DE symptoms without a history of refractive surgery (n=26/119, 22%) and individuals without DE symptoms (n=2/18, 11%, p=0.22). Among individuals with DE symptoms without a history of refractive surgery, DE clinical features, including those indicative of NCP (burning sensation and sensitivity to light, wind and extreme temperatures), did not significantly differ based on MN presence (p>0.05)., Conclusion: MN frequencies did not significantly differ between individuals with and without DE symptoms. Their presence alone could not distinguish between DE subtypes, including features of NCP in our study population., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2022. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

We analyzed qualitative data from 707 USA college students aged 18-22 in late April 2020 regarding if and how their relationships had changed at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Most (69%) participants experienced relationship changes, most of whom (77%) described negative changes: less overall contact, feeling disconnected, and increased tension, some of which was due to conflict over pandemic-related public health precautions. Physical distancing from social contacts also created emotional distancing: it was harder to maintain affective connections via online platforms and within the isolating context of shelter-in-place. Due to emerging adulthood being a sensitive window for social development, the COVID-19 pandemic-induced emotional distancing could have long-term ramifications for this cohort's relationships over the course of their lives., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting Interests: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article., (© 2022 Society for the Study of Emerging Adulthood and SAGE Publishing.)

Purpose: This study explores links among marianismo, girls' mobility and sexuality, and child marriage among adolescent girls in rural areas of Honduras., Methods: We analyze quantitative and qualitative data collected in 2008-2016 for a longitudinal cohort study of rural Honduran adolescent girls. These data include interviews (n = 10 married before age 18) and surveys (n = 563; 155 married early). We also use qualitative data from focus groups in 2016 that included students, parents, teachers, and community members (n = 120)., Results: We find that girls who scored higher on a scale of traditional gender norms were more likely to marry early. Furthermore, our qualitative findings indicate that girls experienced control over their mobility and their sexuality because of rigid gender norms prevalent in their communities. The control girls experience clashes with undergoing psychosocial changes that are associated with increased desire for autonomy and intimacy as well as increased awareness of their sexuality. In some cases, girls believed that marriage was better than staying in their restrictive households, and/or they viewed marriage as the only way to have a romantic relationship., Discussion: Rigid gender norms that promote excessive regulation of girls' behavior and sexuality influence girls' decision-making processes to enter child marriage. Educational initiatives that challenge sexist gender norms and explain and normalize attraction and intimacy during adolescence should be a central component of child marriage prevention programming for adolescents, parents, and community members., (Copyright © 2022 Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Critical consciousness (CC) may promote well-being, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. In a national survey of 707 college students conducted in April 2020, we first validated the Short Critical Consciousness Scale (ShoCCS) among youth groups not often specifically examined in CC measurement (i.e., Asian, immigrant-origin, LGBQ+, and women youth). Next, we examined associations between ShoCCS subscales and validated measures of both anxiety (Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7) and hopefulness (The Individual-Differences Measure in Hopefulness). The ShoCCS achieved measurement invariance across racial/ethnic groups and immigrant-origin status, and partial invariance among LGBQ+ and women-identifying youth. We found critical reflection and action associated with anxiety for the full sample, but no evidence of moderation by sociodemographic factors. ShoCCS subscales were differentially associated with hopefulness for Asian youth and LGBQ+ youth. This study contributes to the evolution of CC measurement and extends the field by identifying well-being associations during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic., (© 2021 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Background: Higher educational attainment predicts lower hypertension. Yet, associations between nontraditional educational trajectories (eg, interrupted degree programs) and hypertension are less well understood, particularly among structurally marginalized groups who are more likely to experience these non-traditional trajectories., Methods: In National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 cohort data (N = 6 317), we used sequence and cluster analyses to identify groups of similar educational sequences-characterized by timing and type of terminal credential-that participants followed from age 14-48 years. Using logistic regression, we estimated associations between the resulting 10 educational sequences and hypertension at age 50. We evaluated effect modification by individual-level indicators of structural marginalization (race, gender, race and gender, and childhood socioeconomic status [cSES])., Results: Compared to terminal high school (HS) diploma completed at traditional age, terminal GED (OR: 1.32; 95%CI: 1.04, 1.66) or Associate degree after

Youth experiencing systemic oppression(s) face heightened challenges to wellbeing. Critical consciousness, comprised of reflection, motivation, and action against oppression, may protect wellbeing. Wellbeing here refers to mental, socioemotional, and physical health. The aim of this systematic review was to synthesize research on the relationship between critical consciousness and wellbeing among adolescents and young adults (ages 12-29). Five databases (PsycInfo, PsychArticles, ERIC, Sociological Abstracts, and PubMed) were searched systematically using keyword searches and inclusion/exclusion criteria; 29 eligible studies were included. Results demonstrated that the critical consciousness and wellbeing relationship varied by critical consciousness dimension and age. The studies of adolescents most often focused on racial/ethnic marginalization and found critical motivation most strongly associated with better wellbeing. The studies of young adults focused on young adult college students and identified mixed results specifically between activism and mental health. Study methods across age spans were primarily quantitative and cross-sectional. Research on critical consciousness and wellbeing can benefit from studies that consider multiple critical consciousness dimensions, use longitudinal approaches, and include youth experiencing multiple and intersecting systems of privilege and marginalization., Competing Interests: Conflict of interestThe authors have no conflicts of interest to declare. Study funders had no role in study design, data collection, interpretation, or analysis, writing the report, or the decision to submit this manuscript for publication., (© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2022.)

Background: We conducted a community-based participatory environmental health study in three towns: two in the heart of Marseille's industrial zone (Fos-sur-Mer and Port-Saint-Louis-du-Rhône), and one on the periphery located about 30 km away (Saint-Martin-de-Crau)., Methods: We first conducted a cross-sectional survey of a random sample of residents in each of the three towns. We asked study participants to self-report a wide variety of health issues (Port-Saint-Louis: n = 272, Fos-sur-Mer: n = 543, Saint-Martin-de-Crau: n = 439). We then conducted focus groups with residents and other stakeholders to share preliminary data in order to propose areas of reflection and collaboratively produce contextually-situated knowledge of their health and environment. We directly standardized the prevalences (by age and gender) to the French metropolitan population to make our results more comparable., Results: Study participants who lived closer to the core industrial zone (residents of Fos-sur-Mer and Port-Saint-Louis-du-Rhone) had higher prevalences of eye irritation, nose and throat problems, chronic skin problems and headaches than people who lived further away (residents of Saint-Martin-de-Crau). Residents also offered diverse qualitative insights about their environment and health experiences., Discussion: We observed elevated prevalences of diseases that affected residents across the industrial zone (Fos-sur-Mer and Port-Saint-Louis-du-Rhône) compared to those living outside (Saint-Martin-de-Crau), and qualitative evidence of how residents made sense of their health experiences strengthening an understanding of their own empirical observations which helps to produce knowledge about health in an industrial context. The results of the workshops show an important benefit from the co-production of local knowledge., Conclusion: We encourage future researchers to do in-depth, community-based research to comprehensively describe the health of residents in other heavily polluted zones, product local knowledge and to help identify policy solutions, engender trust among the local people, and identify opportunities for intervention., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: To study how young adult college students are managing their health behaviors and risks related to spreading COVID-19., Methods: We created a national cohort of full-time college students in late April 2020 (n = 707), and conducted a follow-up survey with participants in July 2020 (n = 543). Participants reported COVID-19-related health risk behaviors and COVID-19 symptoms, and also responded to an open-ended prompt about how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected their lives. Quantitative data were analyzed in Stata and we conducted content analysis to identify themes in the qualitative data., Results: For most health protective behaviors (e.g., frequent handwashing, social distancing), participants were less compliant in summer 2020 than spring 2020, with the exception of face mask use, which increased. In each month of the first half of 2020, only approximately half of participants with any symptoms that could indicate COVID-19 stayed home exclusively while symptomatic (there was no meaningful change from pre-pandemic or over the course of the pandemic). In qualitative data, the participants who had gone to bars or clubs at least twice within a 4-week period this summer reported being bored and/or isolated, stressed, and/or taking pandemic safety measures seriously., Conclusions: These findings suggest multiple areas for intervention, including harm reduction and risk management education approaches for the students who are going to bars and clubs, and creating policies and programs to better incentivize young people with symptoms to stay home exclusively while symptomatic., (Copyright © 2021 Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: Individuals increasingly experience delays or interruptions in schooling; we evaluate the association between these non-traditional education trajectories and mental health., Methods: Using year-by-year education data for 7,501 National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 participants, ages 14-48 (262,535 person-years of education data), we applied sequence analysis and a clustering algorithm to identify educational trajectory groups, incorporating both type and timing to credential. Linear regression models, adjusted for early-life confounders, evaluated relationships between educational trajectories and mental health component scores (MCS) from the 12-item short form instrument at age 50. We evaluated effect modification by race, gender, and race by gender., Results: We identified 24 distinct educational trajectories based on highest credential and educational timing. Compared to high school (HS) diplomas, < HS (beta=-3.41, 95%CI:-4.74,-2.07) and general educational development credentials (GEDs) predicted poorer MCS (beta=-2.07,95%CI:-3.16,-0.98). The following educational trajectories predicted better MCS: some college immediately after High School (beta=1.52, 95%CI:0.68,2.37), Associate degrees after long interruptions (beta=1.73, 95%CI:0.27,3.19), and graduate school soon after Bachelor's completion (beta=1.13, 95%CI:0.21,2.06). Compared to White men, Black women especially benefited from educational credentials higher than HS in predicting MCS., Conclusions: Both type and timing of educational credential predicted mental health. Black women's mental higher especially benefited from higher educational credentials., (© The Author(s) 2021. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Background: A multitude of empirical evidence documents links between education and health, but this focuses primarily on educational attainment and not on characteristics of the school setting. Little is known about the extent to which aggregate characteristics of the school setting, such as student body demographics, are associated with adult health outcomes., Methods: We use the U.S. nationally representative National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 cohort to statistically assess the association between two different measures of high school student composition (socioeconomic composition, racial/ethnic composition) and two different health outcomes at age 40 (self-rated health and obesity)., Results: After adjusting for confounders, high school socioeconomic composition, but not racial/ethnic composition, was weakly associated with both obesity and worse self-rated health at age 40. However, after adding adult educational attainment to the model, only the association between high school socioeconomic composition and obesity remained statistically significant., Conclusions: Future research should explore possible mechanisms and also if findings are similar across other populations and in other school contexts. These results suggest that education policies that seek to break the link between socioeconomic composition and negative outcomes remain important but may have few spillover effects onto health.

College student volunteers play a critical role in many school-based educational programs and can foster valuable near-peer relationships with adolescents, yet how to best select these volunteers has been understudied. We studied college student volunteer mentors for Generation Citizen, a non-profit that provides school-based action civics education programming, and their adolescent students. We identify three common characteristics possessed by the strongest college mentors. Participants were nine college volunteer mentors (67% female; 78% White); these mentors worked in pairs (and one trio) in four different classrooms. Using an action research approach, we conducted semistructured interviews, surveys, and classroom observations to generate quantitative and qualitative data. Effective mentors were: person-oriented, emphasizing the mentor-student connection; aligned with the organization's mission; and constantly honing their craft of mentorship. We recommend college volunteer programs select applicants for positions based on these key indicators to foster mission-driven and motivating educational programming., (© 2020 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Maternal mortality remains a large concern in the United States (US), although other Western countries are making progress. In this scoping review, we identify four problems that may contribute to the maternal mortality burden in the US: inadequately investing in women's health, poor quality of care, increasing disparities, and poor data collection and monitoring of maternal health issues. Because maternal mortality is decreasing in California, we identify strategies implemented there that could improve maternal health outcomes nationwide: funding programs to address social determinants of maternal health; supporting health care strategies to improve maternal health (including national standards and goals for health care systems); and investing in maternal health monitoring and surveillance (including use of technology). We encourage researchers, practitioners, and policymakers to work together to develop evidence-based policies and practices to improve maternal health and reduce maternal. We conclude with recommendations for the United States and globally.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to document young adults' perceived stress and anxiety in a diverse sample of college students across the U.S. during the COVID-19 pandemic., Methods: We recruited, via Instagram, a sample of full-time college students aged 18-22 from across the U.S. We surveyed them in April (baseline; N = 707; mean age = 20.0, SD = 1.3) and July (follow-up) 2020. This study presents overall levels of perceived stress and general anxiety symptoms and inequalities across each of these outcomes by gender, sexual orientation, race/ethnicity, and household income. We also explore potential explanations for these health issues by analyzing baseline qualitative data., Results: All students, on average, were suffering from perceived stress and anxiety, with especially high levels in April. We also identified inequalities in college student mental well-being, particularly by gender identity and sexual orientation. Women reported worse well-being compared with men; transgender and gender diverse and sexual minority youths reported worse outcomes than their cisgender, heterosexual peers at both time points. Qualitative data illustrate how the COVID-19 pandemic has generated educational, economic, and environmental stressors that are affecting college students' well-being., Conclusions: As colleges and universities think about how to manage and mitigate the infectious disease dimensions of COVID-19 among their student populations, they must also consider who is most at risk for increased stress and anxiety during the pandemic., (Copyright © 2020 Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) is a multifocal low-grade vascular neoplasm that can affect the skin, mucus membranes, visceral organs, and lymph nodes. KS can also affect the ocular surface and adnexa and can masquerade as other entities, delaying prompt diagnosis., Areas Covered: In this review, the manifestations of ocular KS are discussed along with theories for pathogenesis, common risk factors, and management options., Expert Opinion: KS is caused by the oncogenic human herpesvirus 8 (HHV8). Immunosuppression in patients with HIV and AIDS contributes to the development of KS but conjunctival and ocular adnexal KS lesions are now uncommon in the era of anti-retroviral therapy. A high index of suspicion is required to diagnose ocular KS as these lesions can be mistaken for alternative entities. Prompt diagnosis can reduce significant morbidity and mortality by prompting a multidisciplinary systemic evaluation, particularly in immunosuppressed individuals. While surgical excision, cryotherapy, intralesional or systemic chemotherapy, and radiation are all viable treatment options, ongoing research to identify novel therapies and molecular treatment targets will help expand the armamentarium of therapeutics available for this disease., Competing Interests: Declaration of interest The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.

Nontraditional education trajectories are common, but their influence on physical health is understudied. We constructed year-by-year education trajectories for 7,501 National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 participants aged 14 to 48 years (262,535 person-years of education data from 1979 to 2014). We characterized trajectory similarity using sequence analysis and used hierarchical clustering to group similar educational trajectories. Using linear regression, we predicted physical health summary scores of the participants at age 50 years from the 12-item Short-Form Survey, adjusting for available confounders, and evaluated effect modification by sex, race/ethnicity, and childhood socioeconomic status. We identified 24 unique educational sequence clusters on the basis of highest level of schooling and attendance timing. General education development credentials predicted poorer health than did high school diplomas (β = -3.07, 95% confidence interval: -4.07, -2.07), and bachelor's degrees attained at earlier ages predicted better health than the same degree attained at later ages (β = 1.66, 95% confidence interval: 0.05, 3.28). Structurally marginalized groups benefited more from some educational trajectories than did advantaged groups (e.g., Black vs. White Americans with some college; those of low vs. high childhood socioeconomic status who received an associate's or bachelor's degree). Both type and timing of educational credentials may influence physical health. Literature to date has likely underestimated the impact of educational trajectories on health., (© The Author(s) 2020. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Purpose: This is one of the first surveys of a USA-wide sample of full-time college students about their COVID-19-related experiences in spring 2020., Methods: We surveyed 725 full-time college students aged 18-22 years recruited via Instagram promotions on April 25-30, 2020. We inquired about their COVID-19-related experiences and perspectives, documented opportunities for transmission, and assessed COVID-19's perceived impacts to date., Results: Thirty-five percent of participants experienced any COVID-19-related symptoms from February to April 2020, but less than 5% of them got tested, and only 46% stayed home exclusively while experiencing symptoms. Almost all (95%) had sheltered in place/stayed primarily at home by late April 2020; 53% started sheltering in place before any state had an official stay-at-home order, and more than one-third started sheltering before any metropolitan area had an order. Participants were more stressed about COVID-19's health implications for their family and for American society than for themselves. Participants were open to continuing the restrictions in place in late April 2020 for an extended period of time to reduce pandemic spread., Conclusions: There is substantial opportunity for improved public health responses to COVID-19 among college students, including for testing and contact tracing. In addition, because most participants restricted their behaviors before official stay-at-home orders went into effect, they may continue to restrict movement after stay-at-home orders are lifted, including when colleges reopen for in-person activities, if they decide it is not yet prudent to circulate freely. The public health, economic, and educational implications of COVID-19 are continuing to unfold; future studies must continue to monitor college student experiences and perspectives., (Copyright © 2020 Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Youth-Led Participatory Action Research (YPAR) is a social justice-focused approach for promoting social change and positive youth development in which youth conduct systematic research and actions to improve their schools and communities. Although YPAR is oriented to generating research for action, with evidence-based recommendations often aimed at influencing adults with power over settings and systems that shape youths' lives, we have little understanding of how YPAR evidence influences the thinking and/or actions of adult policymakers or practitioners. In general, the participatory research field lacks a theoretically informed "use of research evidence" lens, while the use of evidence field lacks consideration of the special case and implications of participatory research. To start to address these gaps, this paper presents a conceptual linkage across these two fields and then provides six illustrative case examples across diverse geographic, policy, and programmatic contexts to demonstrate opportunities and challenges in the use of YPAR evidence for policy and practice. Our illustrative focus here is on U.S. K-12 educational contexts, the most-studied setting in the YPAR literature, but questions examined here are relevant to YPAR and other systems domestically and internationally, including health, educational, and legal systems. HIGHLIGHTS: The use of research evidence (URE) field identifies characteristics of research and conditions that strengthen URE. Youth-led Participatory Action Research is a special case for factors that influence research use. Six case examples across diverse K-12 contexts illustrate facilitators and barriers for YPAR use. We propose next steps for community psychology research and action to promote the study and use of YPAR evidence., (© 2020 Society for Community Research and Action.)

Objectives: To report a novel case of Epipremnum aureum toxicity masquerading as bilateral infectious keratitis and review the literature on ocular manifestations of Epipremnum exposure., Methods: Case report and literature review., Results: A 70-year-old man with a history of photorefractive keratectomy presented with a 3-day history of bilateral eye pain. The patient reported exposure to plant debris while performing yard work and also water exposure while cleaning his coral fish tanks. Clinical examination revealed bilateral epitheliopathy progressing to frank epithelial defects with underlying stromal necrosis 6 days after exposure. Empiric topical antibiotic drops were initiated, but multiple cultures, corneal biopsy, and confocal microscopy were all negative for an infectious agent. Over a 2-week period, the epithelial defects worsened and a suspicion for a toxic etiology was raised. The patient later recalled rubbing his eyes after exposure to Epipremnum aureum (Golden Pothos/Devils Ivy) sap. He was thus treated conservatively with artificial tears, topical corticosteroids, and amniotic membrane. After 3 months, the epithelial defects resolved, but with corneal scarring, prominently in the left eye and underwent penetrating keratoplasty. Five years after presentation, best-corrected visual acuity with hard contact lenses was 20/25 in the right eye and 20/20 in the left eye., Conclusion: Epipremnum aureum toxicity is a rare cause of keratitis. It can mimic acanthamoeba keratitis or anesthetic abuse and should be considered in cases of culture negative nonhealing corneal ulcerations. Eliciting a history of plant sap exposure can facilitate appropriate supportive care for this toxic keratitis.

Introduction: Social factors across one's lifespan may contribute to the relationship between low educational attainment and depression, but this relationship has been understudied. Previous studies assessing the association between educational attainment and depression did not fully account for prior common determinants across the life course and possible interactions by sex or race/ethnicity. It is also unclear whether the link between educational attainment and depression is independent of the role of aspired educational attainment or expected educational attainment., Methods: We used generalized linear log link models to examine the association between educational attainment at age 25 and depression at age 40 in the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 cohort, adjusting for confounders and mediators from childhood, adolescence, and adulthood., Results: Members of each educational attainment group were less likely to be depressed at age 40 than those with less education. After adjusting for educational aspirations and educational expectations, the risk ratios became closer to the null. Neither sex nor race/ethnicity interacted with educational attainment. Additionally, low educational expectations in adolescence, but not low educational aspirations, was associated with a higher risk of depression at age 40., Conclusion: Our study provides a nuanced understanding of the role of education, educational expectations, and educational aspirations as part of education's effect on risk of depression after controlling for a thorough set of confounders and mediators. Our findings may help advance the study of social determinants of depression.