Faculty Bibliography

Improving housing quality may improve residents' health, but identifying buildings in poor repair is challenging. We developed a method to improve health-related building inspection targeting. Linking New York City Medicaid claims data to Landlord Watchlist data, we used machine learning to identify housing-sensitive health conditions correlated with a building's presence on the Watchlist. We identified twenty-three specific housing-sensitive health conditions in five broad categories consistent with the existing literature on housing and health. We used these results to generate a housing health index from building-level claims data that can be used to rank buildings by the likelihood that their poor quality is affecting residents' health. We found that buildings in the highest decile of the housing health index (controlling for building size, community district, and subsidization status) scored worse across a variety of housing quality indicators, validating our approach. We discuss how the housing health index could be used by local governments to target building inspections with a focus on improving health.

OBJECTIVE:To characterize unmet sexual health resource needs and preferences for interventions to address unmet needs among female partners of patients with prostate cancer (PCa), given the significant negative impact of PCa on the sexual health of partners. METHODS:We conducted an exploratory sequential mixed methods study of female partners recruited from multiple U.S. clinical locations, websites, and support groups for caregivers. We first conducted semistructured in-depth interviews. Qualitative results informed development of a cross-sectional survey, which was administered to a larger sample of partners. RESULTS:Overall, 12 and 200 female partners participated in the qualitative and quantitative portions of the study. Major emergent themes from interviews were the benefits and drawbacks of technology-based interventions, the importance of sexual health resources throughout the PCa journey, and a desire for sexual health support groups that include partners. In the survey, the most common sexual health topics that partners wanted more information about were male libido problems (30.0%), erectile dysfunction (26.5%), and female libido and arousal problems (24.5%). Additionally, 41.5% wanted more information about sexual health websites, 35.0% about partners-only support groups, 29.5% about support groups for couples, and 23.5% about sexual medicine specialists. CONCLUSIONS:To our knowledge, this is the largest study to date on female partners' unmet sexual health resource needs and preferences for sexual health interventions. Partners prefer technology-based interventions, desire sexual health-focused support groups, and want more information about a variety of sexual issues and specialists who treat them.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE:Investigate associations of maternal social experiences with offspring epigenetic age acceleration (EAA) from birth through mid-childhood among 205 mother-offspring dyads of minoritized racial and ethnic groups. METHODS:We used linear regression to examine associations of maternal experiences of racial bias or discrimination (0 = none, 1-2 = intermediate, or 3+ = high), social support (tertile 1 = low, 2 = intermediate, 3 = high), and socioeconomic status index (tertile 1 = low, 2 = intermediate, 3 = high) during the prenatal period with offspring EAA according to Horvath's Pan-Tissue, Horvath's Skin and Blood, and Intrinsic EAA clocks at birth, 3 years, and 7 years. RESULTS:In comparison to children of women who did not experience any racial bias or discrimination, those whose mothers reported highest levels of racial bias or discrimination had lower Pan-Tissue clock EAA in early (-0.50 years; 90% CI: -0.91, -0.09) and mid-childhood (-0.75 years; -1.41, -0.08). We observed similar associations for the Skin and Blood clock and Intrinsic EAA. Maternal experiences of discrimination were not associated with Pan-Tissue EAA at birth. Neither maternal social support nor socioeconomic status predicted offspring EAA. CONCLUSIONS:Children whose mothers experienced higher racial bias or discrimination exhibited slower EAA. Future studies are warranted to confirm these findings and establish associations of early-life EAA with long-term health outcomes.

OBJECTIVES/OBJECTIVE:To identify and explore barriers to, and enablers of, active surveillance (AS) in men with low-risk prostate cancer (LRPCa), as perceived by PCa clinicians. PATIENTS AND METHODS/METHODS:Urologists and radiation oncologists in Australia and New Zealand were purposively sampled for a cross-section on gender and practice setting (metropolitan/regional; public/private). Using a grounded theory approach, semi-structed interviews were conducted with participants. Interviews were coded independently by two researchers using open, axial, and selective coding. A constant comparative approach was used to analyse data as it was collected. Thematic saturation was reached after 18 interviews, and a detailed model of barriers to, and enablers of, AS for LRPCa, as perceived by clinicians was developed. RESULTS:A model explaining what affects clinician decision making regarding AS in LRPCa emerged. It was underpinned by three broad themes: (i) clinician perception of patients' barriers and enablers; (ii) clinician perception of their own barriers and enablers; and (iii) engagement with healthcare team and resource availability. CONCLUSIONS:Clinicians unanimously agree that AS is an evidence-based approach for managing LRPCa. Despite this many men do not undergo AS for LRPCa, which is due to the interplay of patient and clinician factors, and their interaction with the wider healthcare system. This study identifies strategies to mitigate barriers and enhance enablers, which could increase access to AS by patients with LRPCa.

On a single night in 2023, more than 653,000 people experienced homelessness in the United States. In this overview, we highlight structural and individual risk factors that can lead to homelessness, explore evidence on the relationship between homelessness and health, discuss programmatic and policy innovations, and provide policy recommendations. Health system efforts to address homelessness and improve the health of homeless populations have included interventions such as screening for social needs and medical respite programs. Initiatives using the Housing First approach to permanent supportive housing have a strong track record of success. Health care financing innovations using Medicaid Section 1115 waivers offer promising new approaches to improving health and housing for people experiencing homelessness. To substantially reduce homelessness and its many adverse health impacts, changes are needed to increase the supply of affordable housing for households with very low incomes. Health care providers and systems should leverage their political power to advocate for policies that scale durable, evidence-based solutions to reduce homelessness, including increased funding to expand housing choice vouchers and greater investment in the creation and preservation of affordable housing.

OBJECTIVE:The study objective was to determine the effect of gentrification on the weight outcomes of New York City public school students living in public housing. METHODS:In a prospective cohort of 19,022 New York City public school students in public housing followed during 2009-2017, weight outcomes of students living in public housing buildings in gentrified neighborhoods were compared to those living in consistently low-socioeconomic-status neighborhoods; assignment was quasi-random in each borough. RESULTS:Among the 42,182 student-year observations, gentrification did not increase weight outcomes significantly, for BMI z scores (0.037; 95% CI: -0.012 to 0.086), obesity (0.6 percentage points [pp]; 95% CI: -0.9 to 2.1), or overweight (1.3 pp; 95% CI: -0.7 to 3.2). However, heterogeneous effects by borough were found, where the gentrification in Manhattan increased students' BMI z scores by 0.19 (95% CI: 0.09-0.29), obesity by 3.4 pp (95% CI: 0.03-6.5), and overweight by 9.2 pp (95% CI: 6.3-12.1). No heterogeneity by race and ethnicity, gender, or age was found. CONCLUSIONS:With strong internal validity, this study shows that neighborhood gentrification differentially influenced children's health through obesity, based on borough of residence. Such findings could inform policies or interventions focused on subpopulations and geographies.

Rapidly advancing evidence documents that a broad array of synthetic chemicals found ubiquitously in the environment contribute to disease and disability across the lifespan. Although the early literature focused on early life exposures, endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are now understood to contribute substantially to chronic disease in adulthood, especially metabolic, cardiovascular, and reproductive consequences as well as endocrine cancers. The contribution to mortality is substantial, with over 90,000 deaths annually and at least $39 billion/year in lost economic productivity in the United States (US) due to exposure to certain phthalates that are used as plasticizers in food packaging. Importantly, exposures are disproportionately high in low-income and minoritized populations, driving disparities in these conditions. Though non-Hispanic Blacks and Mexican Americans comprise 12.6% and 13.5% of the US population, they bear 16.5% and 14.6% of the disease burden due to EDCs, respectively. Many of these exposures can be modified through safe and simple behavioral changes supported by proactive government action to both limit known hazardous exposures and to proactively screen new industrial chemicals prior to their use. Routine healthcare maintenance should include guidance to reduce EDC exposures, and a recent report by the Institute of Medicine suggests that testing be conducted, particularly in populations heavily exposed to perfluoroalkyl substances-chemicals used in nonstick coatings as well as oil- and water-resistant clothing.