AJPM-NOW: April 2019

April 2019

From the Editor-in-Chief

Dear AJPM reader,

We celebrate World Immunization Week April 22nd-28th as a reminder that immunizations continue to be the most cost-effective public health intervention we undertake globally. However, despite the overwhelming body of research showing them to be safe and effective, the anti-vaccine movement in the U.S. and other Western nations continues to grow, threatening our extraordinary progress in the control of vaccine preventable diseases, as evidenced by the current national measles outbreak. AJPM remains committed to bringing our readers the latest in vaccine-related research and is proud to highlight three articles from our April issue addressing immunizations and population health as follows:

Influenza Vaccination Coverage Among Pregnant Women in the U.S., 2012–2015 .

Ding H, Kahn KE, Black CL, O’Halloran A, Lu PJ, Williams WW.

Less than half of pregnant women received the influenza vaccination over three influenza seasons studied. Authors identified risk factors associated with lower vaccination rates, including high school education only, three or fewer provider visits, and having no usual place of care.

Human Papillomavirus Vaccine Interventions in the U.S.: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis .

Rodriguez AM, Do TQN, Goodman M, Schmeler KM, Kaul S, Kuo YF.

This systematic review and meta-analysis assessed the effectiveness of behavioral, environmental, and informational interventions targeting human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine initiation and completion. Authors found behavioral and informational interventions doubled HPV initiation, and behavioral interventions increased HPV vaccine completion by 68%.

Compressed Influenza Vaccination in U.S. Older Adults: A Decision Analysis .

Smith KJ, France G, Nowalk MP, Raviotta JM, DePasse J, Wateska A, Shim E, Zimmerman RK.

Compressed influenza vaccination, or vaccination in October–May versus August–May, could avert ≥11,400 influenza cases in older adults during a typical flu season, but potential risks include early season influenza peaks and the potential for decreased vaccine uptake.

We would also invite our readers to check out the journal’s Immunization Collection for more research on all aspects of immunizations and vaccine preventable disease surveillance and control. As always, we hope you find these articles, and the rest of our April issue, to be topical, timely, and thought provoking.

Yours in prevention and health,

Matthew L. Boulton, MD, MPH

Editor-in-Chief

American Journal of Preventive Medicine

@AJPM_Editor

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Reviewer Recognition

The American Journal of Preventive Medicine is pleased to recognize all individuals who reviewed for the journal in 2018. Peer reviewers are critical to the editorial process, bringing their unique knowledge and experience to help ensure that published research is rigorous and advances the fields of preventive medicine and public health. Thank you to all of our reviewers who gave generously of their time and expertise.

2018 AJPM Reviewer List

Editor's Choice

Distracted Driving, Visual Inattention, and Crash Risk Among Teenage Drivers.

Gershon P, Sita KR, Zhu C, Ehsani JP, Klauer SG, Dingus TA, Simons-Morton BG.

This study used video recordings to measure distracted driving in teens and found that manual cell phone use and reaching for objects are the activities most strongly associated with increased crash risk in newly licensed drivers .

Spotlight

Urban–Rural Differences in Older Adult Depression: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Comparative Studies.

Purtle J, Nelson KL, Yang Y, Langellier B, Stankov I, Diez-Roux AV.

This systematic review and meta-analysis revealed depression prevalence is significantly higher in urban residents than in rural residents in developed countries, but this same association is not observed in developing countries.