Tobacco Product Use Among U.S. Middle And High School Students, 2023
As reported on November 3, 2023 in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Reports, tobacco product use during adolescence increases the risk for lifelong nicotine addiction and adverse health consequences. CDC and the Food and Drug Administration analyzed data from the 2023 National Youth Tobacco Survey to assess tobacco product use patterns among U.S. middle school (grades 6–8) and high school (grades 9–12) students. In 2023, 10.0% of middle and high school students (2.80 million) reported current (i.e., past 30-day) use of any tobacco product. Current use of any tobacco product by high school students declined by an estimated 540,000, from 2.51 million in 2022 to 1.97 million in 2023. From 2022 to 2023, current e-cigarette use among high school students declined from 14.1% to 10.0%. Among middle and high school students, e-cigarette products were the most used tobacco product in 2023 (7.7%; 2.13 million), followed by cigarettes (1.6%), cigars (1.6%), nicotine pouches (1.5%), and smokeless tobacco (1.2%).
Prevalence Of Alzheimer’s Disease Dementia In U.S. States And Counties, 2020
Researchers used cognitive data from the Chicago Health and Aging Project, a population-based study, and combined it with the National Center for Health Statistics 2020 bridged-race population estimates to determine the prevalence of Alzheimer’s Disease dementia in adults ≥65 years in 50 U.S. states and 3,142 counties. As described in the October 2023 issue of the journal Alzheimer’s & Dementia, a higher prevalence of Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) was estimated in the east and southeastern regions of the United States, with the highest in Maryland (12.9%), New York (12.7%), and Mississippi (12.5%). U.S. states with the highest number of individuals with AD were California, Florida, and Texas. Among larger counties, those with the highest prevalence of AD were Miami-Dade County in Florida, Baltimore city in Maryland, and Bronx County in New York. Such estimates could help public health officials develop region-specific strategies for caring for patients with AD.
HEALTH TECHNOLOGY CORNER
Digital Health, AI, Ethical Implications, And Threats To Dignity
Bioethics researchers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston call on relevant parties, e.g., medical societies, to work together to ensure AI-driven health care preserves patient autonomy and respects human dignity. In an article published on November 3, 2023 in JCO Oncology Practice, the authors note medical professionals and technology developers need to act now to prevent the technology from depersonalizing patient care and eroding relationships between patients and caregivers. The authors focus on three areas in which patients are likely to engage with AI now or in the future. Telehealth may use AI to shorten wait times and collect patient data before and after appointments. Remote monitoring of patients' health may be enhanced by AI systems that analyze information reported by patients themselves or collected by wearable devices. Health coaching can employ AI to provide personalized health advice, education, and psychosocial support. AI poses a variety of ethical challenges, many of which have yet to be addressed adequately.
GenAI In Higher Education
Students and instructors have gained a new powerful tool in generative AI models. While use of GenAI has expanded significantly across the last six months, the current use by instructors and students is characterized as nascent. Yet, the ultimate impact on teaching and learning in higher education and workforce needs still is unknown. A pulse survey conducted in September 2023 by Tyton Partners reaching more than 1,000 higher education faculty and 1,600 current postsecondary students found that nearly half of students are regular users of GenAI while faculty at only 22% consistently are significantly lagging students in their use of this resource. GenAI writing tools include ChatGPT, Google Bard, Microsoft Bing Chat, or Meta Llama 2. Additionally, 75% of students indicate that they will continue to use GenAI even if their professors or institutions ban the technology. Both faculty and students believe that GenAI tools will be needed to succeed in the workforce.