The social vulnerability metric (SVM) as a new tool for public health

Objective

To derive and validate a new ecological measure of the social determinants of health (SDoH), calculable at the zip code or county level.

Data Sources and Study Setting

The most recent releases of secondary, publicly available data were collected from national U.S. health agencies as well as state and city public health departments.

Study Design

The Social Vulnerability Metric (SVM) was constructed from U.S. zip-code level measures (2018) from survey data using multidimensional Item Response Theory and validated using outcomes including all-cause mortality (2016), COVID-19 vaccination (2021), and emergency department visits for asthma (2018). The SVM was also compared with the existing Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) to determine convergent validity and differential predictive validity.

Data Collection/Extraction Methods

The data were collected directly from published files available to the public online from national U.S. health agencies as well as state and city public health departments.

Principal Findings

The correlation between SVM scores and national age-adjusted county all-cause mortality was r = 0.68. This correlation demonstrated the SVM's robust validity and outperformed the SVI with an almost four-fold increase in explained variance (46% vs. 12%). The SVM was also highly correlated (r ≥ 0.60) to zip-code level health outcomes for the state of California and city of Chicago.

Conclusions

The SVM offers a measurement tool improving upon the performance of existing SDoH composite measures and has broad applicability to public health that may help in directing future policies and interventions. The SVM provides a single measure of SDoH that better quantifies associations with health outcomes.     

石河子地区近十年结肠镜成人结直肠癌及腺瘤检出情况的横断面调查

目的　调查石河子地区近十年结肠镜下成人结直肠癌（colorectal cancer，CRC）、结直肠腺瘤和进展期腺瘤检出率的变化趋势。方法　2010年1月1日—2019年12月31日期间，就诊于石河子大学医学院第一附属医院完成结肠镜检查的病例纳入调查，通过查阅电子病历系统收集病历资料，具体信息包括患者年龄、性别及结直肠腺瘤或CRC的部位、数量、大小和病理类型等。主要观察结直肠腺瘤、结直肠进展期腺瘤和CRC的检出率，包括10年总体检出率以及前五年（2010—2014年）总体检出率和后五年（2015—2019年）总体检出率。结果　共纳入50 645例，经排除标准排除14 931例，最终共35 714例纳入数据分析。结直肠腺瘤、结直肠进展期腺瘤和CRC的10年总体检出率分别为17.65%（6 302/35 714）、4.45%（1 589/35 714）和3.71%（1 324/35 714）。结直肠腺瘤后五年总体检出率［20.33%（4 565/22 457）］高于前五年［13.10%（1 737/13 257）］；结直肠进展期腺瘤后五年总体检出率［4.69%（1 053/22 457）］高于前五年［4.04%（536/13 257）］；CRC后五年总体检出率［3.30%（741/22 457）］低于前五年［4.40%（583/13 257）］。结论　石河子地区2015—2019年结直肠腺瘤检出率较2010—2014年有较大幅度升高，结直肠进展期腺瘤检出率较2010—2014年有小幅升高，而CRC检出率较2010—2014年有小幅下降，由此推测结肠镜检查发现并切除结直肠腺瘤对降低CRC发病率可能具有重要作用。     

Diagnostic accuracy of laboratory and ultrasound findings in patients with a non-visualized appendix

Ultrasound (US) and laboratory testing are initial diagnostic tests for acute appendicitis. A diagnostic dilemma develops when the appendix is not visualized on US. Objective: To determine if specific US findings and/or laboratory results predict acute appendicitis when the appendix is not visualized. Methods: A prospective study was conducted on children (birth-18?yrs) presenting to the pediatric emergency department with suspected acute appendicitis who underwent right lower quadrant US.Children with previous appendectomy, US at another facility, or eloped were excluded. US findings analyzed: inflammatory changes, right lower quadrant and lower abdominal fluid, tenderness during US exam and lymph nodes. Diagnoses were confirmed via surgical pathology. Results 1252 subjects were enrolled, 60.8% (762) had appendix visualized and 39.1% (490) did not. In children where the appendix was not seen, 6.7% [33] were diagnosed with appendicitis. Among patients with a non-visualized appendix, the likelihood of appendicitis was significantly greater if: inflammatory changes in the RLQ (OR 18.0, 95% CI 4.5–72.1), CRP >0.5?mg/dL (OR 2.64, 95% CI 1.0–6.8), or WBC?>?10 (OR 4.36, 95% CI 1.66–11.58). Duration of abdominal pain >3?days was significantly less likely associated with appendicitis in this model (OR 0.34, 95% CI 0.003–0.395). Combined, the absence inflammatory changes, CRP?<?0.5?mg/dL, WBC?<?10, and pain, ≤3?days had a NPV of 94.0%. Conclusion When the appendix is not visualized on US, predictors for appendicitis include the presence of inflammatory changes in the RLQ, an elevated WBC/CRP and abdominal pain <3?days.