Black/African American adults are at greater risk of experiencing negative health outcomes stemming from tobacco use, yet little research has examined e-cigarette use behavior in the Black/African American adult-only population. We examined the association between e-cigarette use behaviors (never, former, and current use) and perceived harmfulness of e-cigarette use and anxiety/depression symptoms among Black/African American adults. This cross-sectional study was a secondary analysis of nationally representative data from the 2011-2020 Health Information National Trends Survey (n = 6,268). Multinomial logit models were used to examine differences in e-cigarette use behaviors (reference group = never used e-cigarettes), given the risk factors named above. The prevalence of former and current e-cigarette use among Blacks/African Americans was 11.65 % and 3.52 %, respectively. There was a significant interaction between the perceived harmfulness of e-cigarette use and anxiety/depression. Moderate or severe anxiety/depression symptoms were associated with a higher likelihood of current e-cigarette use, but not former e-cigarette use. Compared to individuals who perceived e-cigarette use as less harmful than smoking cigarettes, those who perceived e-cigarette use as just as harmful were less likely to be current e-cigarette users. Those who perceived e-cigarette use as more harmful or were uncertain were less likely to be former or current e-cigarette users. Anxiety/depression and perceived harmfulness of e-cigarette use and their interactions were significantly associated with e-cigarette use behaviors. These findings provide an opportunity to offer tobacco cessation and prevention interventions to subgroups in this population and inform development of content for the same.

This study aims to describe and understand the relationship between sociodemographic factors and PrEP awareness, and willingness to use a PrEP modality (oral or injectable).Despite the availability of effective prevention tools such as HIV preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP), African immigrants in the United States are disproportionately affected by HIV. Although PrEP can significantly reduce HIV infection in this population, research evidence on PrEP outcomes, such as awareness, knowledge, and willingness to use, is extremely limited. Between April and May 2022, 92 participants completed an online survey assessing their awareness, knowledge, and willingness to use oral or injectable PrEP. The association between sociodemographic characteristics and PrEP-related measures was examined using descriptive and Pearson's chi-squared or Fisher's exact tests. Participants (N = 92) were born between 1990 and 1999 (46.7%), female (70.76%) and highly educated (59.6%). About 52.2% were unaware of PrEP, and 65.6% were willing to use a PrEP modality. Findings indicate that individuals who reported being aware of PrEP demonstrated a high level of knowledge regarding the medication. Having a healthcare provider was associated with PrEP awareness and willingness to use, while educational status was associated with PrEP awareness. 51.1% of participants were willing to use an oral pill for prevention and 47.8% were willing to use injectable PrEP. Our findings highlight the need for PrEP-related research and interventions for African immigrants to increase awareness and provide options for HIV prevention, as African immigrants are currently not well-represented in PrEP delivery systems in the US.

BACKGROUND: Kratom, a psychoactive substance, use is an evolving research area that needs more studies to augment the limited literature. Our study examines the association between kratom use categories and mental health and substance use disorders in the U.S. METHODS: We used the 2020 National Survey on Drug Use and Health data (N = 32,893), a cross-sectional survey data, on the U.S. population aged 12 years or older. We used STATA/SE version 16 to perform a multinomial logistic regression analysis to assess our study aims. RESULTS: Bisexuals, compared to heterosexuals, had higher risks of kratom use within the past 30 days (relative risk ratio [RRR]= 2.47, 95% CI= 1.07, 5.71). Major depressive episode was positively associated with kratom use more than 30 days ago (RRR= 2.04, 95% CI= 1.24, 3.34). This association was also observed for mild (RRR= 2.04, 95% CI= 1.38, 3.02), moderate (RRR= 2.25, 95% CI= 1.13, 4.51), or severe alcohol use disorder (RRR= 1.88, 95% CI= 1.05, 3.36); and mild (RRR= 1.98, 95% CI= 1.27, 3.11), moderate (RRR= 2.38, 95% CI= 1.27, 4.45), or severe marijuana use disorder (RRR= 2.13, 95% CI= 1.02, 4.47). Illicit drug other than marijuana use disorder was associated positively with kratom use more than 30 days ago (RRR= 2.81, 95% CI= 1.85, 4.26) and kratom use within the past 30 days (RRR= 5.48, 95% CI= 1.50, 20.02). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggested that identifying as bisexual, experiencing depression, alcohol use disorder, or illicit drug use disorder increased the risks of kratom use. There is a need to consider mental health and substance use disorders and sexual identity in kratom use interventions and policies geared toward reducing or preventing kratom use.