The COVID-19 pandemic has led to an urgent need for engaging computational alternatives to traditional laboratory exercises. Here we introduce a customizable and flexible workflow, designed with the SARS CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19 in mind, as a means of reinforcing fundamental biology concepts using bioinformatics approaches. This workflow…

Objective: Human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccination is recommended for all men who have sex with men (MSM) in the USA until the age of 26 years. Despite this recommendation, vaccine uptake remains low. The purpose of this study was to (1) describe salient beliefs related to HPV vaccination among young MSM; (2) determine factors that underlie these…

We developed an assignment that required introductory psychology students to read and evaluate the quality of several sources of information about the causal link between vaccines and autism. To evaluate the effects of this assignment, students in several different introductory courses completed a pretest and posttest in which they evaluated the…

Background: Health insurance access and health literacy are critical components of "enabling resources" to encourage uptake of services. We sought to test whether health literacy boosts health services utilization in the context of expanded access to health insurance stemming from the Affordable Care Act. Method: We used individual-level…

Korean American women have substantially greater incidence rates of cervical cancer and the lowest rates of cervical cancer screening in the United States. However, there has been minimal research to promote human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination among this population. A pilot randomized controlled trial was conducted to evaluate preliminary…

Sexuality education is a trusted source of information and guidance for adolescents and young people on sexual health, sexuality and relationships, and it can improve the sexual health of this population. Such education is most effective when informed by the views of young people themselves; however, there is limited research that investigates…

Since the COVID-19 pandemic emerged in March 2020, districts across the nation have faced the difficult task of reopening school sites safely for in-person instruction and keeping them open as community infection rates have risen and fallen. It is useful to learn from the efforts of districts that have been able to reopen schools--and keep them…

Serogroup C invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) outbreaks in men who have sex with men (MSM) have been occurring with greater frequency in urban areas across the United States. An effective vaccine for IMD is available and is recommended for MSM in outbreak settings. Particular subgroups of MSM have been disproportionately represented in…

After a challenging fall semester, a national survey from Public Agenda finds that K-12 teachers and parents are largely on the same page regarding education during the COVID-19 pandemic. Just over half of both teachers and parents feel that their communities value teachers more now than before the pandemic. While only one-third of parents think…

Almost two years into the pandemic, its widespread impact continues to deepen, increasing poverty and entrenching inequality. While some countries are recovering and rebuilding in a 'new normal', for too many, COVID-19 remains a catastrophe. The unequal rollout of COVID-19 vaccines is putting entire communities at risk. And as new variants…

Georgia experiences higher human papillomavirus (HPV)-associated cancer burden and lower HPV vaccine uptake compared with national estimates. Using the P3 model that concomitantly assesses practice-, provider- and patient-level factors influencing health behaviors, we examined facilitators of and barriers to HPV vaccine promotion and uptake in…

Young adulthood is a critical time for catch-up HPV vaccination. We assessed predictors of vaccine recommendation and initiation among college students. We analysed cross-sectional surveys from 2397 students using multivariable logistic regressions. Guided by the Socio-ecological and Health Belief Models, measures included socio-demographic…

At every stage since the start of the pandemic, decisions across education and care have been informed by the scientific and medical evidence -- both on the risks of COVID-19 infection, transmission and illness, and on the known risks to children and young people not attending school and college -- balancing public health and education…

Using data from multiple health systems (2009-2010) and the largest sample to date, this study compares health services use among youth with and without an autism spectrum disorder (ASD)--including preventive services not previously studied. To examine these differences, we estimated logistic and count data models, controlling for demographic…

The Human Papillomavirus (HPV) can cause some types of cancer and is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the US. Because most people turn to the internet for health information, this study analyzed HPV information found online. A content analysis was conducted on 69 web search results (URLs) from Google, Yahoo, Bing and Ask. The…