•This is one of the first studies to examine trends in LSD use among US adults.•Findings reveal that use of LSD in the past year jumped 56.4% from 2015 to 2018.•Harm reduction efforts and messages ...surrounding LSD use are warranted.
The recent use of LSD to treat severe psychological disorders in several clinical applications has proven effective in reducing symptoms and distressing events. Trend analyses are warranted to provide the most current data for clinical and health interventions. The purpose of this study was to examine trends in LSD use among adults in the United States.
A secondary analysis of the 2015–2018 National Survey on Drug Use and Health was conducted on 168, 562 adults ages 18 and older.
Past-year LSD use increased 56.4% (P < .0001) from 2015 to 2018. The proportion of LSD users ages 26−34 increased from 19.6% to 31.1% (P < .0001), ages 35−49 increased from 2.73% to 8.82% (P < .0001) and 50 years or older increased from 1.83% to 2.66% (P < .0001). LSD use among bisexual individuals increased from 11.2% to 13.0% (P < .0001). LSD use among individuals with a college degree or more increased from 18.2% to 31.1% (P < .0001). Significant decreases in LSD use were present in individuals who were multi-racial (P < .0001), less than high school education P < .0001), high school education (P < .001), and perceived great risk of drugs (P < .0001).
LSD use in the US jumped 56.4% from 2015 to 2018. Results from the present study can inform prevention and harm reduction efforts (e.g., co-morbid substance use interventions, health messaging).
•Intersectionality theory is rarely applied (20 of 78 studies) in vaccine coverage studies in Canada.•No Canadian vaccine coverage studies explicitly describe using intersectionality ...theory.•Individual-level characteristics are most studied in Canadian vaccine coverage studies.•Sex and gender are often incorrectly applied in vaccine coverage studies in Canada.
Intersectionality refers to the interconnectedness of various social locations creating unique experiences for individuals and groups, in the context of systems of privilege and oppression. As part of immunization coverage research, intersectionality allows healthcare professionals and policymakers to become aware of the constellation of characteristics contributing to low vaccine uptake. The objective of this study was to examine the application of intersectionality theory or concepts, and the appropriate use of sex and gender terminology, in Canadian immunization coverage research.
The eligibility criteria for this scoping review included English or French language studies on immunization coverage among Canadians of all ages. Six research databases were searched without date restrictions. We searched provincial and federal websites, as well as the Proquest Dissertations and Theses Global database for grey literature.
Of 4725 studies identified in the search, 78 were included in the review. Of these, 20 studies included intersectionality concepts, specifically intersections of individual-level characteristics influencing vaccine uptake. However, no studies explicitly used an intersectionality framework to guide their research. Of the 19 studies that mentioned “gender”, 18 had misused this term, conflating it with “sex”.
Based on our findings, there is an evident lack of intersectionality framework utilization in immunization coverage research in Canada, as well as misuse of the terms “gender” and “sex”. Rather than only focusing on discrete characteristics, research should explore the interaction between numerous characteristics to better understand the barriers to immunization uptake in Canada.
The current systematic literature review explores the factors contributing to anxiety among Asian international college students in the United States.
A search of multiple electronic databases ...yielded seven relevant peer-reviewed articles published since 2018.
Findings indicated that academic stressors, lack of social support, and cultural barriers significantly contributed to anxiety among Asian international students. Additionally, demographic factors such as gender, age, and English proficiency may also influence anxiety levels.
Mindfulness-based interventions, peer support groups, and culturally sensitive counseling may reduce anxiety among Asian international students. Further research is needed to understand more thoroughly the complex interactions between these factors and anxiety in this population.
•COVID-19 vaccine behaviour in Métis Nation of Ontario Citizens is complex.•Differences and similarities exist for vaccine behaviour regarding vaccine intentions.•The COVID-19 infodemic negatively ...impacted participants’ vaccine behaviour.
The burden of the current COVID-19 pandemic is not shared equally in Canadian society, with Indigenous Peoples being disproportionately affected. Moreover, there is a lack of research pertaining to vaccination behaviour in Métis communities. This Métis-specific and Métis-led qualitative study endeavours to understand COVID-19 vaccine behaviour among citizens of the Métis Nation of Ontario (MNO).
Data was collected via one-on-one interviews. Participants were recruited via the MNO’s existing social media channels. Participants filled out a screening survey indicating their intention to vaccinate against COVID-19 as yes, no, or unsure. Sixteen participants (9 yes, 3 unsure, 4 no) were interviewed. Interviews averaged 30 minutes, and the questions and probes were developed in collaboration with the MNO. The interviewer received Métis-specific cultural safety training. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and uploaded to NVivo 12.
A deductive analysis using the Social Ecological Model framework (SEM) for vaccine behaviour and two blinded coders was used to understand the data. An additional factor, COVID-19 public health measures, was added to the framework to better capture the experiences of participants during the COVID-19 pandemic. Overall, the factors with the greatest number of coded references included Vaccine roll-out and availability, Organization of the public into priority groups, Public discourse, Interpersonal influences, Interface with health professionals, Knowledge state, Trust, and Vaccine risk perception. Bandwagoning (following others’ behaviour) and Freeloading (perceiving enough people have been vaccinated), both factors of the SEM, were not discussed. Yes, no, and unsure participant groups were compared to understand the influences of each factor based on COVID-19 vaccination intention.
MNO citizens COVID-19 vaccine behaviour was negatively and positively influenced by a number of factors. This information will allow the MNO and public health units to better tailor their messaging for COVID-19 vaccine uptake campaigns and future pandemic emergencies.
Setting
In January 2021, the COVID-19 vaccine became available to First Nations, Métis, and Inuit (FNMI) over the age of 65 living in First Nations communities or Métis settlements in Alberta. In ...March, vaccine eligibility in Alberta expanded to include FNMI peoples of younger ages and in urban settings. The Métis Nation of Alberta (MNA) and other Indigenous organizations recognized that FNMI populations might be better served by tailored vaccine programs.
Intervention
The MNA is the government for the Métis people in Alberta. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the MNA has supported its citizens, through financial and mental wellness support, access to personal protective equipment, and messaging regarding public health orders. When vaccines became available, culturally appropriate virtual vaccine information sessions were provided. In March 2021, the MNA delivered the first Métis-led COVID-19 vaccination clinic. Unique to the clinic’s success was the location, online booking process, and community presence. The clinic focused on cultural safety, including the availability of Indigenous health professionals to community members, and cultural reference points throughout the clinic.
Outcomes
In the first MNA clinic, over 1300 people were vaccinated. Visitors shared appreciation for the culturally specific aspects of the clinic, which contributed to increased safety and comfort.
Implications
Based on the success of the first Métis-led vaccination clinic, similar services in communities with high numbers of Métis people have been approved. This innovative practice initiative could provide a model of COVID-19 vaccine service delivery that could be used to meet the needs of Métis citizens in other jurisdictions in Canada.
Objective
The study objective is to measure the influence of psychological antecedents of vaccination on COVID-19 vaccine intention among citizens of the Métis Nation of Ontario (MNO).
Methods
A ...population-based online survey was implemented by the MNO when COVID-19 vaccines were approved in Canada. Questions included vaccine intention, the short version of the “5C” psychological antecedents of vaccination scale (confidence, complacency, constraint, calculation, collective responsibility), and socio-demographics. Census sampling via the MNO Registry was used achieving a 39% response rate. Descriptive statistics, bivariate analyses, and multinomial logistic regression models (adjusted for sociodemographic variables) were used to analyze the survey data.
Results
The majority of MNO citizens (70.2%) planned to be vaccinated. As compared with vaccine-hesitant individuals, respondents with vaccine intention were more confident in the safety of COVID-19 vaccines, believed that COVID-19 is severe, were willing to protect others from getting COVID-19, and would research the vaccines (Confident OR = 19.4, 95% CI 15.5–24.2; Complacency OR = 6.21, 95% CI 5.38–7.18; Collective responsibility OR = 9.83, 95% CI 8.24–11.72; Calculation OR = 1.43, 95% CI 1.28–1.59). Finally, respondents with vaccine intention were less likely to let everyday stress prevent them from getting COVID-19 vaccines (OR = 0.47, 95% CI 0.42–0.53) compared to vaccine-hesitant individuals.
Conclusion
This research contributes to the knowledge base for Métis health and supported the MNO’s information sharing and educational activities during the COVID-19 vaccines rollout. Future research will examine the relationship between the 5Cs and actual uptake of COVID-19 vaccines among MNO citizens.
Montane insects are at a higher risk of desiccation than their lowland counterparts and are expected to have evolved reduced water loss. Hemideina spp. (tree weta; Orthoptera: Anostostomatidae) have ...both lowland (Hemideina femorata, Hemideina crassidens and Hemideina thoracica) and montane (Hemideina maori and Hemideina ricta) species. H. maori has both melanic and yellow morphs. We use these weta to test two hypotheses: that montane insects lose water more slowly than lowland species, and that cuticular water loss rates are lower in darker insects than lighter morphs, because of incorporation of melanin in the cuticle. We used flow-through respirometry to compare water loss rates among Hemideina species and found that montane weta have reduced cuticular water loss by 45%, reduced respiratory water loss by 55% and reduced the molar ratio of V̇H2 O:V̇CO2 by 64% compared with lowland species. Within H. maori, cuticular water loss was reduced by 46% when compared with yellow morphs. Removal of cuticular hydrocarbons significantly increased total water loss in both melanic and yellow morphs, highlighting the role that cuticular hydrocarbons play in limiting water loss; however, the dark morph still lost water more slowly after removal of cuticular hydrocarbons (57% less), supporting the melanisation-desiccation resistance hypothesis.
Aim
Repeated cycles of Pleistocene glaciation have influenced phylogeographic structure of taxa on New Zealand's South Island. Many taxa became restricted to refugia at either end of the island ...during glaciation, resulting in an area of low endemicity in central South Island. This area of low endemism is typified by the so‐called beech (or biotic) gap, where the absence of Nothofagus forest (and many other plant and invertebrate taxa) has been attributed to repeated glaciation. Some taxa, however, appear to have persisted in situ in localized refugia within the biotic gap. We test these alternative hypotheses in a large flightless alpine wētā (grasshopper).
Location
Southern Alps, South Island, New Zealand.
Taxon
Hemideina maori Pictet & Saussure, 1891 (Orthoptera: Anostostomatidae).
Methods
We used phylogeographic analysis of mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase I (cox1) and 25 nuclear DNA (nuDNA) markers to test for Pleistocene glacial microrefugia within the current montane South Island range of Hemideina maori.
Results
We identified eight deeply differentiated mtDNA lineages with limited sharing of haplotypes among populations. Genetic differentiation assessed using nuDNA revealed a similar pattern, with three groups broadly corresponding to the deepest mtDNA splits. The central South Island region exhibits substantial endemic mtDNA diversity and a distinctive nuclear lineage.
Main conclusions
These results indicate that H. maori likely persisted in microrefugia within the biotic gap during glaciation. These deep lineages are estimated to have started diverging prior to the initiation of glaciation, up to 3 Ma. These results add to a growing number of Southern Hemisphere examples of deep phylogeographic differentiation in glaciated alpine regions compared to Europe and North America, probably reflecting less intense glaciation. We suggest that other Southern Alps species showing northern and southern clades alone are more montane than alpine, and were reliant on warmer habitat to the north and south during glacial eras. Thus, there are species‐specific responses to climatic processes, influenced by distinctive habitat requirements and physiological traits.
Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a pervasive public health problem in which transgender individuals are at elevated risk. The present study examined associations among IPV, demographics, sex work, ...and substance use in a national sample of transgender individuals. National data from the 2015 Transgender Survey (
n
= 27,715) was analyzed. Results indicated that nearly half (48.3%) of transgender individuals had experienced IPV in their lifetime. Lifetime IPV differed significantly based on demographics, sex work and substance use. Individuals at highest risk for lifetime IPV were those who self-identified as a trans man, were 25–64 years old, were Native American/Alaskan Native or Middle-Eastern/North African, had some college or less, had an annual income of $1–$24,999, had been part of a religious/spiritual community, had engaged in sex work and had used substances. Public and community health efforts are needed to address risk factors contributing to transgender involvement in IPV. Primary and secondary preventive measures are needed to effectively combat IPV. Primary prevention strategies should educate individuals regarding IPV, healthy relationships and the adoption of healthy coping and communication skills. Secondary prevention strategies should utilize screening procedures to identify individuals at risk and bolster social connectedness. Treatment programs should be developed to reduce IPV among individuals who use substances. Future research is strongly needed in this area.
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