Background: Research points to parental incarceration as an important social determinant of child health. Even so, studies examining the health impact of parental incarceration in the context of diverse childhood stressors and adversities are lacking. Methods: The present study uses a large, nationally representative sample to compare U.S. children who were exposed to parental incarceration to a strategic comparison group of U.S. children who were not exposed to parental incarceration, but were nonetheless exposed to alternative family stressors and adversities. Results: The initial findings generally reveal worse health among children exposed to parental incarceration compared to those who are not exposed. Even so, these differences were partially or completely attenuated when comparing the incarceration-exposed group to more comparable groups of children exposed to a varying degree of alternative stressors/adversities. Conclusions: Programmatic efforts targeting parental incarceration as a means of promoting child health may be enhanced by adequately addressing co-occurring family stressors and child adversities.

Numerous studies have demonstrated that exposure to ambient ozone (O₃) could have adverse effects on children’s respiratory health. However, previous studies mainly focused on asthma and wheezing. Evidence for allergic rhinitis and bronchitic symptoms (e.g., persistent cough and phlegm) associated with O₃ is limited, and results from existing studies are inconsistent. This study included a total of 59,754 children from the seven northeastern cities study (SNEC), who were aged 2 to 17 years and from 94 kindergarten, elementary and middle schools. Information on doctor-diagnosed allergic rhinitis (AR), persistent cough, and persistent phlegm was collected during 2012–2013 using a standardized questionnaire developed by the American Thoracic Society (ATS). Information for potential confounders was also collected via questionnaire. Individuals’ exposure to ambient ozone (O₃) during the four years before the investigation was estimated using a satellite-based random forest model. A higher level of O₃ was significantly associated with increased risk of AR and bronchitic symptoms. After controlling for potential confounders, the OR (95% CI) were 1.13 (1.07–1.18), 1.10 (1.06–1.16), and 1.12 (1.05–1.20) for AR, persistent cough, and persistent phlegm, respectively, associated with each interquartile range (IQR) rise in O₃ concentration. Interaction analyses showed stronger adverse effects of O₃ on AR in children aged 7–17 years than those aged 2–6 years, while the adverse association of O₃ with cough was more prominent in females and children aged 7–12 years than in males and children aged 2–6 and 13–17 years. This study showed that long-term exposure to ambient O₃ was significantly associated with higher risk of AR and bronchitic symptoms in children, and the association varies across age and gender. Our findings contribute additional evidence for the importance of controlling O₃ pollution and protecting children from O₃ exposure.

Simultaneous alcohol and marijuana (SAM) use exposes college students to a myriad of adverse consequences. However, there is no recent nationally representative study on SAM use among college students in the United States (US). To provide an update to the literature, the present study aimed to examine the trends, prevalence, and correlates of SAM use among US college students between 2006 and 2019, using nationally representative data. We used data from the 2006–2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) and the analytic sample was limited to the 55,669 full-time college student respondents (ages 18–22). Using logistic regression analysis, we assessed trends in SAM use prevalence and examined sociodemographic and psycho-social-behavioral correlates of SAM use. The proportion of US college students who reported SAM use increased significantly from 8.13% (2006–2010) to 8.44% (2015–2019). However, examination by race/ethnicity revealed that the increasing trend was largely driven by Black college students, whose SAM use prevalence increased significantly from 5.50% (2006–2010) to 9.30% (2015–2019), reflecting a 69.09% increase. SAM use rates did not change significantly among other racial/ethnic groups. This study uncovered an upward trend and prevalence of SAM use among US college students, calling for more research and public health interventions in this area. At-risk subgroups that warrant more attention include college students who are Black, female, above the legal drinking age, have a lower than $20,000 household income, and reside in small metropolitan areas.