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Cancer statistics for adolescents and young adults (AYAs) (aged 15-39 years) are often presented in aggregate, masking important heterogeneity. The authors analyzed population-based cancer incidence and mortality for AYAs in the United States by age group (ages 15-19, 20-29, and 30-39 years), sex, and race/ethnicity. In 2020, there will be approximately 89,500 new cancer cases and 9270 cancer deaths in AYAs. Overall cancer incidence increased in all AYA age groups during the most recent decade (2007-2016), largely driven by thyroid cancer, which rose by approximately 3% annually among those aged 20 to 39 years and 4% among those aged 15 to 19 years. Incidence also increased in most age groups for several cancers linked to obesity, including kidney (3% annually across all age groups), uterine corpus (3% in the group aged 20-39 years), and colorectum (0.9%-1.5% in the group aged 20-39 years). Rates declined dramatically for melanoma in the group aged 15 to 29 years (4%-6% annually) but remained stable among those aged 30 to 39 years. Overall cancer mortality declined during 2008 through 2017 by 1% annually across age and sex groups, except for women aged 30 to 39 years, among whom rates were stable because of a flattening of declines in female breast cancer. Rates increased for cancers of the colorectum and uterine corpus in the group aged 30 to 39 years, mirroring incidence trends. Five-year relative survival in AYAs is similar across age groups for all cancers combined (range, 83%-86%) but varies widely for some cancers, such as acute lymphocytic leukemia (74% in the group aged 15-19 years vs 51% in the group aged 30-39 years) and brain tumors (77% vs 66%), reflecting differences in histologic subtype distribution and treatment. Progress in reducing cancer morbidity and mortality among AYAs could be addressed through more equitable access to health care, increasing clinical trial enrollment, expanding research, and greater alertness among clinicians and patients for early symptoms and signs of cancer. Further progress could be accelerated with increased disaggregation by age in research on surveillance, etiology, basic biology, and survivorship.

This qualitative study examined the desired and perceived outcomes of inclusive postsecondary education (IPSE) for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) from the perspective of their parents. Currently, little is known about how individuals with IDD benefit from IPSE. Twenty-three parents of students or graduates of one, four-year certificate program of study, participated in phone interviews, where they were asked about their young adults' college experiences. Data were analyzed using constant comparative methods. Several themes were identified, including desired outcomes (e.g., development of independent living, career, social skills, and inclusion) and perceived outcomes (e.g., increased levels of social involvement, perceptions of self, and independent living skills). Parents witnessed their young adults gaining new capabilities that resulted from the transition to college, which helped them in the process of "letting go." These findings enhance our understanding of the benefits that are afforded to individuals and families whose lives have been impacted by the "life-changing" experience of IPSE.

Objectives. To examine trends in overdose deaths by intent and drug category to better understand the recent decrease in overdose suicides amid the overdose epidemic. Methods. We examined trends in rates of overdose deaths by intent (unintentional, suicide, or undetermined) across 9 drug categories from 1999 to 2022 using US National Vital Statistics System mortality data. Results. Unintentional overdoses involving synthetic opioids, polydrug toxicity involving synthetic opioids, psychostimulants, and cocaine increased exponentially with annual percentage changes ranging from 15.0% to 104.9% during 2010 to 2022. The death rates also increased for suicides involving these drugs, especially for psychostimulants (annual percentage change = 12.9% for 2010–2022; P <.001). However, these drugs accounted for relatively small percentages of overdose suicides. The leading drug categories among suicides were antidepressants, prescription opioids, and benzodiazepines, though these deaths have decreased or leveled off in recent years. Conclusions. Different drugs commonly involved in suicides and unintentional overdoses may contribute to their divergent trends. Public Health Implications. Amid the overdose epidemic, safe storage of medications remains a crucial strategy to prevent overdose suicides. The large increases in suicides involving psychostimulants warrant monitoring. (Am J Public Health. 2024;114(10):1081–1085. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2024.307745) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: College and university administrators have expressed concern that adoption of tobacco-free policies may reduce applications and enrollment. This study examines adoption and implementation of 100% tobacco-free campus policies by institutions of higher education on applications and enrollment. Participants: North Carolina private colleges and universities and public community colleges. Analysis was conducted in 2011. Methods: Student enrollment and application data were analyzed by campus type to determine (a) if there was a difference in student applications and enrollment before and after policy implementation, and (b) if there was a difference in student applications and enrollment for campuses with versus without a policy. Results: No significant differences were found in student enrollment or applications when comparing years prior to and following policy implementation or when comparing with institutions without 100% tobacco-free campus policies. Conclusions: The authors found no evidence that 100% tobacco-free policy adoption had an impact on student enrollment or applications.

Inclusive community recreation is an optimal environment for the development of recreation and sports skills and social relationships between people with and without disabilities. Although we know much about best practices for inclusion, little systemic change in recreation agencies has transpired. Diffusion of Innovation Theory is proposed as a framework for understanding what must occur for inclusive recreation practices to become more systemic throughout community recreation agencies. The theory rests on the premise that aspects such as how quickly an innovation is adopted, by whom, and when are subject to predictable variables based on attributes of the innovation and characteristics of the individual or group of adopters. The theory proposes that once agencies falling into one of the first three groups have adopted an innovation, a "tipping point" is reached. The tipping point is the point after which further diffusion of the innovation becomes self-sustaining. In this case, inclusive recreation would spread quickly until it became standard operating procedure. A thorough understanding of this theory, especially as it relates to characteristics of adopter groups, could potentially provide a roadmap for change agents regarding the roles that they could play to ensure that the tipping point, where people of all abilities have ongoing access to the community, is reached.

PURPOSE This study examined changes in patterns of cancer-related deaths during the first year of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic in the United States. METHODS We identified cancer-related deaths, defined as deaths attributable to cancer as the primary cause (underlying cause) or deaths with cancer documented as one of the multiple contributing factors (contributing cause) from the Multiple Cause of Death database (2015-2020). We compared age-standardized cancer-related annual and monthly mortality rates for January-December 2020 (first pandemic year) to January-December 2015-2019 (prepandemic) overall and stratified by sex, race/ethnicity, urban rural residence, and place of death. RESULTS We found that the death rate (per 100,000 person-years) with cancer as the underlying cause was lower in 2020 compared with 2019 (144.1 v 146.2), continuing the past trend observed in 2015-2019. By contrast, the death rate with cancer as a contributing cause was higher in 2020 than in 2019 (164.1 v 162.0), reversing the continuously decreasing trend from 2015 to 2019. We projected 19,703 more deaths with cancer as a contributing cause than expected on the basis of historical trends. Mirroring pandemic peaks, the monthly death rates with cancer as a contributing cause first increased in April 2020 (rate ratio [RR], 1.03; 95% CI, 1.02 to 1.04), subsequently declined in May and June 2020, and then increased again each month from July through December 2020 compared with 2019, with the highest RR in December (RR, 1.07; 95% CI, 1.06 to 1.08). CONCLUSION Death rates with cancer as the underlying cause continued to decrease in 2020 despite the increase in death rates with cancer as a contributing cause in 2020. Ongoing monitoring of long-term cancer-related mortality trends is warranted to assess effects of delays in cancer diagnosis and receipt of care during the pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Responses from 214 of 500 volunteer agencies determined that 1.1% of their volunteers have developmental disabilities/mental retardation (DD/MR) and identified barriers and benefits that volunteer coordinators perceive regarding volunteers with DD/MR. There was interest in learning how to accommodate volunteers with disabilities. (Contains 14 references.) (JOW)

Examined the benefits of volunteerism for people with disabilities as well as their non-disabled peers and the agency in which they served. Participants were college students who were matched with adolescents from a local school for students with disabilities. After two semesters of volunteer work for a local museum, benefits were discussed and evaluated. Results highlighted benefits for all participants. (SM)

American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) individuals are diverse culturally and geographically but share a high prevalence of chronic illness, largely because of obstacles to high-quality health care. The authors comprehensively examined cancer incidence and mortality among non-Hispanic AIAN individuals, compared with non-Hispanic White individuals for context, using population-based data from the National Cancer Institute, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries. Overall cancer rates among AIAN individuals were 2% higher than among White individuals for incidence (2014 through 2018, confined to Purchased/Referred Care Delivery Area counties to reduce racial misclassification) but 18% higher for mortality (2015 through 2019). However, disparities varied widely by cancer type and geographic region. For example, breast and prostate cancer mortality rates are 8% and 31% higher, respectively, in AIAN individuals than in White individuals despite lower incidence and the availability of early detection tests for these cancers. The burden among AIAN individuals is highest for infection-related cancers (liver, stomach, and cervix), for kidney cancer, and for colorectal cancer among indigenous Alaskans (91.3 vs. 35.5 cases per 100,000 for White Alaskans), who have the highest rates in the world. Steep increases for early onset colorectal cancer, from 18.8 cases per 100,000 Native Alaskans aged 20-49 years during 1998 through 2002 to 34.8 cases per 100,000 during 2014 through 2018, exacerbated this disparity. Death rates for infection-related cancers (liver, stomach, and cervix), as well as kidney cancer, were approximately two-fold higher among AIAN individuals compared with White individuals. These findings highlight the need for more effective strategies to reduce the prevalence of chronic oncogenic infections and improve access to high-quality cancer screening and treatment for AIAN individuals. Mitigating the disparate burden will require expanded financial support of tribal health care as well as increased collaboration and engagement with this marginalized population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A strong professional organization has been associated with credibility and vitality of its profession. The field of recreational therapy (RT), however, has historically demonstrated poor membership on both national and state/regional levels. The purpose of this study was to examine what CTRSs identify as benefits as well as real/ perceived barriers to membership in professional RT organizations and examine the relationship between membership status and professional commitment. A 43-item Qualtrics electronic questionnaire addressing benefits and barriers of membership, professional commitment, and demographics was sent to all active CTRSs. Statistical analysis found that just over half of the 2003 respondents were members of national and/or state/ regional organizations. Differences existed regarding benefits of membership where members perceived more professional benefits and non-members perceived more personal benefits. Barriers were primarily financial and of "cost-benefit" concerns. In addition, professional commitment was higher among members than non-members. Recommendations are offered for practice, education, and research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The American Cancer Society (ACS) and the NCI collaborate every 5-8 years to update the methods for estimating numbers of new cancer cases and deaths in the current year in the United States and in every state and the District of Columbia. In this article, we reevaluate the statistical method for estimating unavailable historical incident cases which are needed for projecting the current year counts. Methods: We compared the current county-level model developed in 2012 (M0) with three new models, including a state-level mixed effect model (M1) and two state-level hierarchical Bayes models with varying random effects (M2 and M3). We used 1996-2014 incidence data for 16 sex-specific cancer sites to fit the models. An average absolute relative deviation (AARD) comparing the observed with the model-specific predicted counts was calculated for each site. Models were also cross-validated for six selected sex-specific cancer sites. Results: For the cross-validation, the AARD ranged from 2.8% to 33.0% for M0, 3.3% to 31.1% for M1, 6.6% to 30.5% for M2, and 10.4% to 393.2% for M3. M1 encountered the least technical issues in terms of model convergence and running time. Conclusions: The state-level mixed effect model (M1) was overall superior in accuracy and computational efficiency and will be the new model for the ACS current year projection project. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Animal-assisted interventions have been implemented by health care professionals because of the therapeutic value of animal interactions. The purpose of this study was to survey Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialists (CTRSs) to (a) determine the prevalence of Animal Assisted Interventions (AAI) implemented by recreational therapists, and (b) understand the knowledge and barriers to AAT implementation that exist for recreational therapists. A total of 123 Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialists participated in the study (a 6.2% response rate). A significant difference was found in the AAT goal of improving social interaction by population. Those working in physical medicine and rehabilitation reported less improvement than those in behavioral health, geriatrics and community agencies. CTRSs indicated there is a need for additional education and trainings on AAT practice. Many CTRSs surveyed identified the lack of registered animal/handler teams in the area as a major barrier to implement AAT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]