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Background: Sexual minority students have higher risk for health-related behaviors. We examined 5 domains including 34 health risk behaviors and health conditions among sexual minorities and unsure students in Rhode Island. We also included sexual contact of heterosexually identified students to capture heterosexually identified students who may be considered sexual minorities by their behavior. Methods: We used the 2007-2015 Rhode Island Youth Risk Behavior Survey data (N = 14,264). We categorized students into 4 groups: students self-identified as heterosexual and reported no sexual contact with same sex only or both sexes (group 1); self-identified as heterosexual and reported sexual contact with same sex only or both sexes (group 2); self-identified as lesbian, gay, bisexual (group 3); and responded as unsure (group 4). We used multivariable adjusted logistic regression analyses to evaluate associations of sexual minority and unsure students with 34 health risk behaviors and health conditions accounting for complex sampling design. Results: Students in groups 2-4 were more likely to engage in health-risk behaviors including violent behaviors, attempted suicide, substance use, and no physical activity than their peers. Conclusions: As sexual minority youth continue to report higher rates of health-related risk behaviors, targeted evidence-based prevention approaches must focus on reducing these risk behaviors among those youth. [The Rhode Island Youth Risk Behavior Survey is conducted through a cooperative agreement between the CDC and the Rhode Island Department of Health. This publication was supported by CDC Cooperative Agreement #U87PS004179.]

This study aims to compare the developmental-behavioral profiles of 2-year-olds of mothers who experienced postpartum and/or current depression with profiles of toddlers of mothers without depression at either time using population-based Rhode Island data. Weighted data from Rhode Island Department of Health's Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System and Rhode Island's follow-up Toddlers Wellness Overview Survey distributed to mothers giving birth between 2006 and 2008 were analyzed. Compared with non-depressed mothers, those with any depression following childbirth reported more concerns with their toddlers' receptive language, social-emotional development, and their sleep and feeding behaviors. When adjusted for demographics, persistent depression remained associated with social-emotional (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 7.53, 2.78-20.34) and feeding concerns (aOR = 3.13, 1.36-7.22), and current depression was associated with social-emotional concerns (aOR = 2.52, 1.26-5.01). We conclude that pediatric providers should explore maternal mental health as a mediating and potentially modifiable factor beyond the postpartum period when toddlers present with developmental-behavioral challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVES. Our objectives were to (a) estimate the prevalence of children's mental health problems, (b) assess family functioning, and (c) investigate the relationship between children's mental health and family functioning in Rhode Island. METHODS. From the 2003 National Survey of Children's Health, Rhode Island data for children 6 to 17 years of age were used for the analyses (N = 1326). Two aspects of family functioning measures, parental stress and parental involvement, were constructed and were examined by children's mental health problems, as well as other child and family characteristics (child's age, gender, race/ethnicity, special needs, parent's education, income, employment, family structure, number of children, and mother's general and mental health). Bivariate analyses and multivariate logistic regression were used to investigate the relationship. RESULTS. Among Rhode Island children, nearly I (19.0%) in 5 had mental health problems, 1 (15.6%) in 6 lived with a highly stressed parent, and one third (32.7%) had parents with low involvement. Bivariate analyses showed that high parental stress and low parental involvement were higher among parents of children with mental health problems than parents of children without those problems (33.2% vs 11.0% and 41.0% vs 30.3%, respectively). In multivariate logistic regression, parents of children with mental health problems had nearly 4 times the odds of high stress compared with parents of children without those problems. When children's mental health problems were severe, the odds of high parental stress were elevated. However, children's mental health was not associated with parental involvement. CONCLUSIONS. Children's mental health was strongly associated with parental stress, but it was not associated with parental involvement. The findings indicate that when examining the mental health issues of children, parental mental health and stress must be considered. Key Words children's mental health, family functioning, parental stress, parental involvement, National Survey of Children's Health, Rhode Island, AT LEAST 1 in 5 children in the United States has a mental health disorder, and 1 in 10 has a serious emotional disturbance. (1) These problems are a source [...]

The article reports on the Rhode Island Department of Health's (RIDOH) Birth Defects Program (RIBDP), which examined the trends and risk factors for birth defects in the state in 2018-2020. The aim is to provide additional support services and develop policies to reduce birth defects and infant mortality. Also cited are the maternal characteristics used in the study like education level, pre-pregnancy weight, and education.

The article offers information on the maternal obesity and birth defects in Rhode Island. It mentions that according to the Rhode Island Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS), the prevalence of pre-pregnancy obesity was 21 percent from 2012-2015, an increase over previous time periods; and also mentions medical information related to the pregnancy, including birth weight, gestational age, and diabetes status, were reported to the birth registration system by a physician.

Information on state-level health information technology (HIT) adoption will become increasingly important with the implementation of incentive payments to accelerate uptake. Recognizing this, the Rhode Island Department of Health selected physician HIT adoption as a subject for its legislatively mandated quality reporting program. This article discusses the state’s process for developing HIT adoption measures, including the importance of stakeholder involvement in the development of a survey and the difficulty of accurately defining electronic medical record (EMR) adoption. This article describes the challenges in defining “true” EMRs, which may be addressed, in part, by ensuring local consensus about EMR measures and by piloting the survey and measures, prior to public reporting or the calculation of a statewide baseline. It also presents results from the 2009 administration of this survey to all 3,883 Rhode Island–licensed physicians providing direct patient care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on public reporting of hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) in Rhode Island. It notes that the Hospital Infection Disclosure Act in 2008 has expanded the state's quality reporting legislation to include HAIs which affect a significant number of hospital patients. It highlights that the HAI reporting of the Rhode Island Department of Health is equipped with authority under the law and the strong commitment of the members of its stakeholder group which includes hospitals and their medical personnel and infection preventionists, stressing that several initiatives related to HAIs have been reported.

The article reports on the health status and healthcare utilization among children in Rhode Island for the year 2007. It mentions that the health status and healthcare utilization among children are greatly influenced by health insurance coverage where those insured children may adequately receive a preventive health care, while the uninsured children are less likely to receive medical treatment. Moreover, it also presents the data from the 2007 National Survey of Children's Health conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics. The result reveals that children with public health insurance are less likely to have very good or excellent general health.

The article discusses a 2021 survey which provided an opportunity to explore the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the adoption of telemedicine and physicians' experience using it. Topics include a 2017 review of telemedicine policy trends, findings on physicians who had used telemedicine in the prior year, and barriers to providing telemedicine according to the respondents.

The article offers information on the identification of the drug overdoses in Rhode Island using multiple sources of data by Rhode Island Department of Health. Topics discussed include information of naloxone, a medication for opioid overdose as per Rhode Island Emergency Medical Services (EMS) protocol; determination of the number of repeat overdoses using EMS compliant data; and reports on the opioid overdose reversal using naloxone and improvement in patient's consciousness.

The article presents a case-control study of the association of maternal smoking with birth defects and poor neonatal conditions such as premature labor and sudden infant death syndrome in Rhode Island. The study selected birth defects including clubfoot, cryptochidism, and cleft/lip palate. It uses logistic regression to assess the exposure-outcome link influencing gestational age, infant sex, and maternal race or ethnicity. Results demonstrate strong relationship between maternal smoking and clubfoot and pulmonary stenosis.

The article presents a study which examines the relationship of obesity with birth defects in Rhode Island. The study shows that among 995 cases of birth defects, 233 were obese before being pregnant. The study reveals that preterm delivery rates and low birth weight among the cases were more than double the related of the control group. In addition, conotruncal heart defects revealed a higher degree of relation with pregnancy obesity compared to other heart defects groups after separating the cardiovascular defects into three congenital heart defect groups.

The article presents a study which examines central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs) in Rhode Island. Hospitals in the state have collected and reported data on CLABSI rates in hospital Intensive Care Units (ICUs) to the state's Department of Health as part of the Health Care Quality Performance Program's public reporting mandate. Findings of the study emphasize the significance of tracking CLABSI rates which will provide opportunity for hospitals to measure and determine their progress in the prevention and reduction of CLABSIs in their facilities.

Unintentional opioid overdoses are a growing public health epidemic in the United States. Rhode Island is also faced with a challenging crisis of drug overdose deaths. The State Unintentional Drug Overdose Reporting Surveillance (SUDORS) data from the second half of 2016 were used to present opioid overdose deaths and characteristics in Rhode Island. During July-December 2016, 142 individuals died of opioid overdose in Rhode Island. People who died by opioid overdose were more likely to be 25–65 years old, male, and non-Hispanic white. The most common precipitating circumstances were substance abuse (88%), current mental health problems (43%), and physical health problems (27.5%). Over 83% of decedents had 2 or more substances attribute to causing their death, with fentanyl (71.1%) as the most common substance. Only 36.6% of decedents had naloxone administered. Fatal opioid overdose data are important for understanding this public health crisis and can guide overdose intervention efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on the assessment of developmental, educational, and parent support services given to families with children suffering from craniofacial birth defects. Topics mentioned include the development of Rhode Island Birth Defects Program (RIBDP), the medical care for families of children with craniofacial birth defects, and the promotion of quality of life for patient and their families.

The article offers information on the Rhode Island Violent Death Reporting System (RIVDRS), which collects violent death data in Rhode Island. Topics discussed include collecting details of mechanisms of injury, location of death, and toxicology information, efforts from U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in introduction of the system, and strengths and limitations of the system.

The article discusses regarding the trend in prevalence of supine sleeping among white and black infants of Rhode Island, New England and the disparity in spine sleeping position in black and white infants. Topics discussed include recommendation of American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) on safe infant sleep environment, Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) survey data analysis and the charts and tables representing supine sleep pattern and selected maternal characteristics.

The article presents a report which identifies the trends in the daily utilization of multivitamins prior to pregnancy among Rhode Island women with a live birth from 2002-2009. The data from the state's Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) were used to evaluate the trends and the 2004-2008 aggregated data were examined to distinguish disparities among subgroups. The report has showed that the percentage of Rhode Island women who accounted daily use of multivitamins prior to pregnancy increased from 32 percent to 36.7 percent. Also, the aggregated data have demonstrated that the percentage of daily multivitamin use among women prior to pregnancy deviated by socio-demographic characteristics.

The article presents a study which aims to determine the prevalence of intimate partner violence (IPV) before or during pregnancy in Rhode Island (RI) as well as the association of IPV with maternal health and well-being. It mentions that the study analyzed the data from the 2004-2007 Rhode Island Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) and four survey questions were created focusing on physical abuse by partner. The study found that 5.5% of RI women experienced physical IPV before and/or during the most recent pregnancy, 4.2% before pregnancy and 3.2% during pregnancy. It notes that IPV was higher among teenagers, Hispanics, unmarried and in households with income < 15,000 dollars.

BACKGROUND: The Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH) has administered the Health Information Technology (HIT) survey since 2009 to report clinician-level process measures relating to HIT adoption and use. METHODS: RIDoH administers the Rhode Island HIT survey to all licensed independent practitioners. Descriptive analyses examined HIT adoption and the clinician experience working with HIT. RESULTS: Most physician and Advanced practice provider (App) respondents report using an EHR (92.5% and 94.3%) and e-prescribing medications (84.1% and 81.6%). Less than half of physicians (40.9% or n=565) and Apps (35.4% or n=195) who prescribe controlled substances currently submit controlled substance prescriptions electronically. A higher percentage of physicians, compared to Apps, reported experiencing HIT-related stress (80.9% and 66.6%). The overall prevalence of physicians reporting symptoms of burnout was 29.7% (n=539) but varied between specialties. DISCUSSION: As of 2019, the majority of Rhode Island physicians have adopted EHRs and e-prescribing. Adoption plateaued after 2012, and challenges persist in integrating existing technology into practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article highlights the Domestic violence-related deaths and homicides at Rhode island, U.S. Topics discussed include information on homicides, committed by one family or household member against another; effect of domestic violence-related homicides on women; and efforts of government for domestic violence prevention and focusing on the highest risk factors. It also discusses the characteristics of victims of the family violence.

Information on homicide firearms can be used to help state and local communities understand the problems of violence and decrease injuries and deaths. However, it is difficult to collect these data. To our knowledge, in the public health arena, the National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS) is the only system that collects detailed firearm information. The Rhode Island State Crime Laboratory (RISCL) can provide detailed information about the firearms and cartridge cases\bullets involved in firearm deaths. With help from the RISCL, the firearm information related to homicides in Rhode Island has improved dramatically. In 2015, information on caliber/gauge increased by 80%, the firearm type by 50%, the make by 50%, and the model by 20%. By documenting the process of using information from the RISCL, it is hoped that this process can be used as a model by other states when reporting on violent deaths. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]