Background: Obesity and short sleep duration are significant public health issues. Current evidence suggests that these conditions are associated with cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, inflammation, and premature mortality. Increased interest in the potential link between obesity and short sleep duration, and its health consequences, has been driven by the apparent parallel increase in the prevalence of both conditions in recent decades, their overlapping association with cardiometabolic outcomes, and the potential causal connection between the two health issues. The SLUMBRx (Short Sleep Undermines Cardiometabolic Health) study seeks to contribute to the development of a comprehensive adiposity-sleep model while laying the groundwork for a future research program that will be designed to prevent and treat adiposity- and sleep-related cardiometabolic disease risk factors. Objective: This SLUMBRx study aims to address 4 topics pertinent to the adiposity-sleep hypothesis: the relationship between adiposity and sleep duration; sex-based differences in the relationship between adiposity and sleep duration; the influence of adiposity indices and sleep duration on cardiometabolic outcomes; and the role of socioecological factors as effect modifiers in the relationship between adiposity indices, sleep, and cardiometabolic outcomes. Methods: SLUMBRx will employ a large-scale survey (n=1000), recruiting 159 participants (53 normal weight, 53 overweight, and 53 obese) to be assessed in 2 phases. Results: SLUMBRx was funded by the National Institutes of Health, Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute through a K01 grant award mechanism (1K01HL145128-01A1) on July 23, 2019. Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval for the research project was sought and obtained on July 10, 2019. Phase 1 of SLUMBRx, the laboratory-based component of the study, will gather objective adiposity indices (air displacement plethysmography and anthropometrics) and cardiometabolic data (blood pressure, pulse wave velocity and pulse wave analysis, and a blood-based biomarker). Phase 2 of SLUMBRx, a 1-week, home-based component of the study, will gather sleep-related data (home sleep testing or sleep apnea, actigraphy, and sleep diaries). During phase 2, detailed demographic and socioecological data will be collected to contextualize hypothesized adiposity and sleep-associated cardiometabolic disease risk factors. Collection and analyses of these data will yield information necessary to customize future observational and intervention research. Conclusions: Precise implementation of the SLUMBRx protocol promises to provide objective and empirical data on the interaction between body composition and sleep duration. The hypotheses that will be tested by SLUMBRx are important for understanding the pathogenesis of cardiometabolic disease and for developing future public health interventions to prevent its conception and treat its consequences. International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID): PRR1-10.2196/27139

Background: Short sleep and obstructive sleep apnea are underrecognized strains on the public health infrastructure. In the United States, over 35% of adults report short sleep and more than 80% of individuals with obstructive sleep apnea remain undiagnosed. The associations between inadequate sleep and cardiometabolic disease risk factors have garnered increased attention. However, challenges persist in modeling sleep-associated cardiometabolic disease risk factors. Objective: This study aimed to report early findings from the Short Sleep Undermines Cardiometabolic Health-Public Health Observational study (SLUMBRx-PONS). Methods: Data for the SLUMBRx-PONS study were collected cross-sectionally and longitudinally from a nonclinical, rural community sample (n=47) in the southeast United States. Measures included 7 consecutive nights of wrist-based actigraphy (eg, mean of 7 consecutive nights of total sleep time [TST7N]), 1 night of sleep apnea home testing (eg, apnea-hypopnea index [AHI]), and a cross-sectional clinical sample of anthropometric (eg, BMI), cardiovascular (eg, blood pressure), and blood-based biomarkers (eg, triglycerides and glucose). Correlational analyses and regression models assessed the relationships between the cardiometabolic disease risk factors and the sleep indices (eg, TST7N and AHI). Linear regression models were constructed to examine associations between significant cardiometabolic indices of TST7N (model 1) and AHI (model 2). Results: Correlational assessment in model 1 identified significant associations between TST7N and AHI (r=–0.45, P=.004), BMI (r=–0.38, P=.02), systolic blood pressure (r=0.40, P=.01), and diastolic blood pressure (r=0.32, P=.049). Pertaining to model 1, composite measures of AHI, BMI, systolic blood pressure, and diastolic blood pressure accounted for 25.1% of the variance in TST7N (R2adjusted=0.25; F2,38=7.37; P=.002). Correlational analyses in model 2 revealed significant relationships between AHI and TST7N (r=–0.45, P<.001), BMI (r=0.71, P<.001), triglycerides (r=0.36, P=.03), and glucose (r=0.34, P=.04). Results from model 2 found that TST7N, triglycerides, and glucose accounted for 37.6% of the variance in the composite measure of AHI and BMI (R2adjusted=0.38; F3,38=8.63; P<.001). Conclusions: Results from the SLUMBRx-PONS study highlight the complex interplay between sleep-associated risk factors for cardiometabolic disease. Early findings underscore the need for further investigations incorporating the collection of clinical, epidemiological, and ambulatory measures to inform public health, health promotion, and health education interventions addressing the cardiometabolic consequences of inadequate sleep. International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID): RR2-10.2196/27139

Cervical cancer and Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) share common demographic risk factors. Despite this, scarce research has examined the relationship between race/ethnicity, having T2D, and cervical cancer incidence. We analyzed statewide electronic health records data between 2012 and 2019 from the OneFlorida+ Data Trust. We created a 1:4 nested case–control dataset. Each case (patient with cervical cancer) was matched with four controls (patients without cervical cancer) without replacement by year of encounter, diagnosis, and age. We used conditional logistic regression to estimate the unadjusted and adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) to examine the association between race/ethnicity, T2D, and cervical cancer incidence. A total of 100,739 cases and 402,956 matched controls were identified. After adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics, non-Hispanic Black women with T2D had higher odds of cervical cancer compared with non-Hispanic White women with T2D (OR: 1.58, 95% CI 1.41–1.77). Living in a rural area, having Medicaid/Medicare insurance, and having high social vulnerability were associated with higher odds of having a cervical cancer diagnosis. Our findings imply the need to address the higher burden of cervical cancer diagnosis among non-Hispanic Black women with T2D and in underserved populations.

Child sexual abuse (CSA) is a common problem, and allegations of CSA require a thorough multidisciplinary investigation which includes a comprehensive medical evaluation. Although most CSA victims will have normal exams, some will have physical injuries, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and/or other problems. We are reporting the results of the examinations of 573 children evaluated in the West Alabama Child Medical Evaluation Program (WACMEP). This is the first report of CSA exams coming from Alabama and one of a few from a smaller medical center. Most were victimized by a single, older male perpetrator who was known to the family, often related, and had unsupervised access to the child. One-fourth (24.1%) of the children had significant exam findings, including 7.5% with a STI. Females were more likely to have significant findings including most of the STIs. Other historical factors statistically linked to an increased risk of having significant exam findings included being African-American, providing a clear history of abuse, and/or reporting vulvar pain or vaginal symptoms such as discharge, itching, or bleeding. The incidence of significant findings including STIs was similar to previously reported studies from larger urban centers across the United States, United Kingdom, and New Zealand.

Objectives: Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the United States, with a lifetime prevalence of more than 80%. HPV is associated with cervical cancer, which affects thousands of US women each year. A vaccine was introduced in 2006 to mitigate the prevalence and mortality of HPV-associated cancers. Although HPV vaccine adherence has increased over time,...

Introduction: Telehealth approaches have demonstrated benefits in improving positive airway pressure (PAP) compliance in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), improving access to healthcare resources, and improving health outcomes for rural communities. Methods: This quality improvement (QI) pilot study implemented weekly telemedicine visits for four weeks of PAP therapy in rural patients newly diagnosed with OSA. Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) scores were compared prior to and at one month of therapy. PAP compliance was compared between rural patients who received the telemedicine intervention and a group of patients not receiving the telemedicine intervention. Results: Compliance rates were higher in the intervention group. There was not a significant difference in compliance for the intervention group (M = 63.22, SD = 32.78) versus the control group (M = 46.40, SD = 36.24), t (46) = 1.69, p = 0.099. ESS scores were significantly greater prior to one month of therapy (M = 8.38, SD = 5.70) compared to after one month of therapy (M = 2.83, SD = 2.65), t (23) = 5.22, p < 0.001, d = 1.07. Discussion: This QI pilot study utilized telemedicine to remove barriers to care, improve PAP compliance, and improve health outcomes for this underserved, rural population.