New from CDC Authors
Working Together to Reduce Black Maternal Mortality
Black Maternal Health Week is recognized each year from April 11-17 to bring attention and action in improving Black maternal health. Everyone can play a role in working to prevent pregnancy-related deaths and improving maternal health outcomes.
Changes in Partner Seeking and Sexual Behavior Among United States Adults During The First Two Years Of The COVID-19 Pandemic
This study examines cross-sectional survey data collected at the end of the first year and second year of the COVID-19 pandemic by the National Opinion Research Center. Data were analyzed to: 1) quantify behavioral changes across pandemic years, 2) examine changes of in-person dating prevalence during year 2, and 3) assess risk perception for acquiring COVID-19 or HIV/STIs through new sexual partnerships during year 2.
Equity of PrEP Uptake by Race, Ethnicity, Sex and Region in the United States in the First Decade of Prep: A Population-Based Analysis
This study uses commercial pharmacy data to enumerate PrEP users by race and ethnicity, sex, and US Census region from 2012 to 2021. It reports annual race and ethnicity-, sex-, and region-specific rates of PrEP use and PrEP-to-Need Ratio, a metric of PrEP equity, to assess trends.
Mammogram and Pap Smear Uptake Among Women in the HIV Outpatient Study USA, 2010-2021
This study examines mammogram and Pap smear uptake in cis-gender women using data from the prospective HIV Outpatient Study cohort collected during January 2010–December 2021.
Path Analysis of Adverse Childhood Experiences, Early Marriage, Early Pregnancy, and Exposure to Intimate Partner Violence Among Young Women in Honduras
This study uses weighted data from 1,436 women aged 18–24 years from the nationally representative 2017 Honduras Violence Against Children and Youth Survey to estimate pathways by which adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are associated with early marriage and early pregnancy.
Breast and Cervical Cancer Programs' Success in Maintaining Screening During Periods of High COVID-19: A Qualitative Multi-Case Study Analysis
During the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, most of the CDC's National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program funded programs experienced significant declines in breast and cervical cancer screening volume. However, 6 recipients maintained breast and/or cervical cancer screening volume during July–December 2020 despite their states' high COVID-19 test percent positivity. This report is a qualitative multi-case study to explore these recipients' actions that may have contributed to screening volume maintenance.
Per- And Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS), Perceived Stress, And Depressive Symptoms in a Prospective Cohort Study of Black Women
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are endocrine-disrupting chemicals with neurotoxic properties. PFAS have been associated with depressive symptoms in women in some studies, but little research has evaluated the effects of PFAS mixtures. This prospective cohort study of reproductive-aged (23-35 years) Black women investigates associations between PFAS and depressive symptoms and the extent to which perceived stress modified these associations.
Stewardship Prompts to Improve Antibiotic Selection for Urinary Tract Infection: The INSPIRE Randomized Clinical Trial
Urinary tract infection (UTI) is the second most common infection leading to hospitalization and is often associated with gram-negative multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs). Clinicians overuse extended-spectrum antibiotics although most patients are at low risk for MDRO infection. The objective of this study is to evaluate whether computerized provider order entry prompts providing patient- and pathogen-specific MDRO risk estimates could reduce use of empiric extended-spectrum antibiotics for treatment of UTI.
Claims for Contraceptive Services and Chlamydia and Gonorrhea Testing Among Insured Adolescent and Young Adult Females in the United States
The objective of this study is to examine claims for reversible prescription contraceptives and chlamydia and gonorrhea testing among commercially and Medicaid-insured adolescent and young adult (ages 15-24 years) females in the United States.
Syphilis Treatment Among People Who Are Pregnant in Six U.S. States, 2018-2021
The objective of this study is to describe syphilis treatment status and prenatal care among people with syphilis during pregnancy to identify missed opportunities for preventing congenital syphilis. The unadjusted risk ratios of six jurisdictions that participated in SET-NET (Surveillance for Emerging Threats to Pregnant People and Infants Network) were used to compare demographic and clinical characteristics by syphilis stage and treatment status during pregnancy and by prenatal care.
Guidelines for Tuberculosis Screening and Preventive Treatment Among Pregnant and Breastfeeding Women Living with HIV in PEPFAR-Supported Countries
Tuberculosis (TB) preventive treatment (TPT) is recommended by the World Health Organization for persons living with HIV, including pregnant and breastfeeding women. This study reviews current relevant national guidelines among President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief-supported countries to determine if TB screening and TPT are recommended specifically for pregnant and breastfeeding women living with HIV.
"I Wouldn't Have Felt So Alone": The Sexual Health Education Experiences of Transgender and Gender Diverse Youth Living in the Southeastern United States
Transgender and gender diverse youth experience multiple disproportionate adverse sexual health outcomes. This study conducts a multi-stage thematic analysis of 33 in-depth interviews among transgender and gender diverse youth (ages 15–24) living in the southeastern United States on their sexual health education experiences.
U.S. Women with Invasive Cervical Cancer: Characteristics and Potential Barriers to Prevention
Although invasive cervical cancer (ICC) rates have declined since the advent of screening, the annual age-adjusted ICC rate in the United States remains 7.5 per 100,000 women. Failure of recommended screening and management often precedes ICC diagnoses. The study aimed to evaluate characteristics of women with incident ICC, including potential barriers to accessing preventive care, by abstracting medical records across five population-based surveillance sites of the Human Papillomavirus Vaccine Impact Monitoring Project (HPV-IMPACT).
Attitudes Toward COVID-19 Vaccines Among Pregnant and Recently Pregnant Individuals
This survey study evaluates changing attitudes regarding COVID-19 vaccines by vaccination status and race, ethnicity, among samples of pregnant and recently pregnant members of the Vaccine Safety Datalink, a collaboration of 13 health care systems and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Data were collected via two waves of a cross-sectional survey conducted from 2021 to 2023.
Estimating Averted Illnesses from Influenza Vaccination for Children and Pregnant Women - El Salvador, Panama, And Peru, 2011-2018
Demonstrating the use of a newly available modeling tool, this study estimates the burden of influenza illnesses averted by seasonal influenza vaccination in El Salvador, Panama, and Peru during 2011–2018 among two influenza vaccine target populations: children aged 6–23 months and pregnant women.
The Impact of Adjusting for Hysterectomy Prevalence on Cervical Cancer Incidence Rates and Trends Among Women Aged 30 Years and Older - United States, 2001-2019
Measures of cervical cancer incidence often fail to exclude women with a hysterectomy from the population at risk denominator, underestimating and distorting disease burden. This study estimates hysterectomy prevalence from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System surveys to remove the women who were not at risk of cervical cancer from the denominator and combined these estimates with the United States Cancer Statistics data.
