AJE Advances Research in Epidemiology

15.09.2026

Risk factors measured around age 60 as predictors of dementia around age 80 in the U.S.

Abstract The number of older adults living with dementia in the United States and worldwide continues to rise. Identifying elevated dementia risk decades before potential onset can help individuals prepare and enable healthcare providers and policymakers to target resources that …

10.09.2026

Relative and absolute exposures in multi-site and multi-cohort research

Abstract Pooling data across study sites or studies can provide opportunities to answer novel research questions, especially when exposure distributions vary across settings. The decision to use absolute (ie, on a common metric across studies) versus relative (ie, scaled within e …

26.08.2026

Estimation of controlled direct effects of polyunsaturated fatty acids on colorectal adenoma risk using inverse probability weighting

Abstract Omega-3 and omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids exert putatively divergent effects on inflammation, partly through differential production of prostaglandin E2 (PGE-2), a pro-inflammatory metabolite implicated in colorectal carcinogenesis. To elucidate polyunsaturated fat …

24.08.2026

Estimation of attributable fractions for time-to-event outcomes using an inverse probability weighted Kaplan–Meier estimator

Abstract Population attributable fractions aim to quantify the proportion of the cases of an outcome (for example, a disease) that would have been avoided had no individuals in the population been exposed to a given exposure. This quantity thus plays a crucial role in epidemiolog …

03.08.2026

Racial/ethnic differences in prevalence of opioid and non-opioid treatments for pain in Medicaid

Abstract More than 1 in 5 U.S. adults experience chronic pain. Management of chronic pain has shifted from opioids to non-opioid pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic alternatives. This study compared the opioid and non-opioid pain treatments received in the outpatient setting amon …

02.06.2026

A Bayesian latent class analysis approach for assessing the accuracy of natural language processing models classifying topic and sentiment of public health–related social media content

Abstract Natural language processing (NLP) models can classify unstructured social media content into structured data suitable for generating public health intelligence. Natural language processing models, however, can vary in performance, given differences in architecture and se …

12.08.2026

Place-based disorder, social cohesion, and physical and mental health outcomes of LGBTQIA+ adults in the United States

Abstract Place-based disorder and social cohesion may influence lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual, and other sexual and gender minority (LGBTQIA+) adults’ physical and mental health in meaningful ways given their heightened exposure to minority stress …

23.04.2026

Measuring maternal mortality and mortality disparities: a health-adjusted approach

Abstract Racial and ethnic disparities in maternal mortality are well known, especially the higher rates for Black and Native American women. However, the underlying causes remain unclear. These disparities may stem from disparities in background health across groups or from fact …

25.06.2026

Truncation by death in the sufficient-cause framework

Abstract The sufficient-cause framework has been used for decades to improve our understanding of both basic and complex causal concepts in epidemiology, such as mediation and interaction. Here, we make use of this framework to provide a description of truncation by death, in whi …

22.07.2026

In harmony? A scoping review of methods to combine multiple 16S amplicon datasets

Abstract Robust evidence on relationships between the human microbiome and health is critical for understanding and improving the human condition. However, there is little information about methodological approaches to combine and analyze multiple microbiome (16S amplicon) datase …

12.06.2026

News media source, political orientation of news, and support for political violence

Abstract Political violence is rising in the US and considered a public health concern. The type and political bias of news media individuals consume may relate to support for political violence, yet few empirical studies have examined these associations. Using responses to 25 qu …

01.07.2026

Patient–physician language concordance and long-term mortality: a retrospective cohort study of Canadians

Abstract Linguistic diversity across North America is increasing rapidly. Prior studies have shown that patients who receive healthcare services in their preferred language have better short-term outcomes. We sought to determine whether patient–physician language concordance is a …

27.07.2026

Estimating the population direct effect in cluster randomized trials of targeted interventions using contemporaneous counts in a non-target group

Abstract In cluster randomized trials of interventions that target a subset of the at-risk population, contemporaneous event counts in a non-target group can be used to estimate the population direct effect if indirect effects are unlikely, but the application of this approach ha …

14.07.2026

A target trial emulation of adherence to Canada’s food guide 2019 recommendations in older adults

Abstract The 2019 Canada’s Food Guide (CFG) may not be tailored for older adults, since it provides universal recommendations. In community-dwelling adults aged 67-84 years and compared with habitual diet and physical activity, our objective was to estimate the 3-year difference …

03.07.2026

Assessment of the conditional exchangeability assumption in causal machine learning models: a simulation study

Abstract Observational studies developing causal machine learning models for prediction of individualized treatment effects (ITEs) seldom conduct empirical evaluations to assess the conditional exchangeability assumption. We conducted a simulation study to illustrate the performa …

12.08.2026

Spatial and space-time trends of reported Shigella spp outbreaks in the United States, 2009-2022

Abstract Shigella spp are the leading cause of acute gastroenteritis, posing a public health concern in the United States. This study analyzed surveillance data on Shigella spp outbreaks reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention via the National Outbreak Reportin …

21.04.2026

Reevaluating the link between maternal age and stillbirth risk in the context of socioeconomic confounding

Abstract Previous research finds a J-shaped relationship between maternal age and stillbirth risk but often overlooks socioeconomic confounding, which may obscure underlying risk patterns, particularly among individuals with advanced maternal age (≥35 years) who tend to have grea …

27.05.2026

Advancing Gene Environment interaction scans through Targeted Learning

Abstract We demonstrate how Targeted Learning (TL) can be leveraged in gene-environment interaction (GxE) discovery and estimation without sacrificing power, overcoming the limitations of traditional GxE methods that have relied on overly simple, non-causal parametric models. Our …

08.04.2026

A case of the Mondays? Pollution exposure and delayed care in pediatric asthma hospitalizations

Abstract Pediatric asthma remains a leading cause of preventable hospitalizations in the United States, with environmental triggers such as fine particulate matter (PM2.5) playing a key role. However, hospitalization timing reflects not only biological exacerbations but also heal …

02.06.2026

Assessing the broader impact of influenza: a meta-analysis of cause-specific and all-cause influenza-associated mortality

Abstract The mortality impact of influenza epidemics is often quantified via increases in respiratory mortality, but this may not fully capture other health outcomes like cardiovascular events. We aimed to explore the ratios of influenza-associated cause-specific to all-cause mor …

12.05.2026

The Index of Concentration at the Extremes for epidemiologic research: implications of categorization approach for observed health outcome associations

Abstract The Index of Concentration at the Extremes for race (ICErace) is increasingly used to quantify neighborhood-level racial segregation in epidemiologic studies. However, ICErace is commonly categorized using quantiles, potentially masking associations with health outcomes. …

01.05.2026

Negative confounding demystified: revisiting classic examples and proposing an updated teaching framework

01.05.2026

Health disparities in the impact of prenatal rainfall variation on child growth: quasi-experimental evidence from Peru

Abstract Climate variability increasingly impacts population health, with pregnant people and children among the most at risk. This study examines how prenatal rainfall variation influences child growth in Peru and how these associations differ across climatic zones and socioecon …

03.06.2026

The influence of barriers to healthy eating on food and nutrition insecurity in a low-income, urban community

Abstract Tangible and intangible barriers to healthy eating (e.g., lack of food preparation equipment and lack of time, respectively) may prevent households from utilizing accessible food to produce nutritious meals; yet their role in food and nutrition insecurity remains unclear …

06.04.2026

A comparative analysis estimating aspergillosis and histoplasmosis encounters among inpatients in the United States using multi-regional electronic health record and National Discharge Data, 2014-2020

Abstract Fungal diseases are an emerging public health threat, yet their epidemiology remains poorly understood due to limited surveillance. Electronic health record (EHR) datasets offer opportunities for studying fungal diseases, but their national representativeness is unclear. …

29.04.2026

A new surveillance landscape for seasonal influenza? Comparing lab-confirmed influenza hospitalizations with other syndromic and surveillance data sources for the state of California

Abstract During the COVID-19 pandemic, US federal hospitalization surveillance systems provided a new data source for lab-confirmed influenza hospital admissions; these data were important for monitoring hospital capacity for combined respiratory virus pathogen burden and served …

27.03.2026

Can self- or caregiver-administered nasal spray influenza vaccination improve outcomes? An agent-based model using the framework for reconstructing epidemiological dynamics

Abstract Newly licensed self- or caregiver-administered nasal spray live attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV), available to order for home delivery, may improve vaccination coverage (VC) among adults aged 18-49 overall, as well as among those in this age group who live in househol …

26.03.2026

Participant recruitment during war: challenges and strategies from the longitudinal mental health assessment of the population study in Ukraine

Abstract Conducting longitudinal cohort studies in war conditions is accompanied by a range of challenges. This article describes the recruitment and implementation process of a large, population-based longitudinal mental health study conducted in Ukraine during the war. We focus …

04.03.2026

Did in-person work contribute to racial disparities in COVID-19 mortality? Evidence from a mediation analysis using case–control and population-based cohort designs

Abstract We examined whether physical presence at the workplace contributed to racial disparities in COVID-19 mortality among working-age Californians. Using a case–control design, we compared all COVID-19 deaths (n = 4838) and non-COVID-19 deaths (n = 21 453) in California betwe …

13.01.2026

On the importance of covariate-by-time interactions in longitudinal linear models

Abstract Linear regression models for repeated measures have been widely used in clinical trials to compare treatment effects on continuous outcome measures. These models often include baseline covariates to improve precision and adjust for potential confounding. However, a commo …

21.02.2026

Psychological distress, racism, sexism, cissexism, heterosexism, ageism, and sizeism: analyzing patterns of association using explicit and implicit measures of discrimination

Abstract Research on discrimination and health has predominantly relied on explicit self-report data for single types of discrimination; use of implicit measures is scant. Our exploratory cross-sectional study investigated associations between psychological distress (Kessler-6 [K …

21.02.2026

Prevalence and impact of urinary incontinence in Canada: a systematic review of the quantitative and qualitative literature and a meta-analysis of quantitative data

Abstract Urinary incontinence (UI) is defined as involuntary urine leakage. It is a rarely reported common condition that adversely affects quality of life because many consider it a normal part of aging. UI continues to be stigmatizing. This study’s aim was to conduct a systemat …

26.02.2026

Monitoring longitudinal public interest in opioid risk and response fentanyl vs. Narcan vs. naloxone: public search patterns

Abstract The opioid crisis in the United States has evolved rapidly over the last decade, with fentanyl—a potent synthetic opioid—playing a central role in the rising overdose death toll. Naloxone (brand name Narcan), an opioid antagonist, has become a cornerstone of harm-reducti …

08.01.2026

Associations between hysterectomy history and depressive symptoms among women in the United States

Abstract Hysterectomy is the second most common nonobstetrical surgical procedure performed in US women. We interrogate the relationship between current depressive symptoms and a history of undergoing a hysterectomy in recent cohorts of US women aged 20 years and older. We utiliz …

29.01.2026

Estimating the causal effect of sugar consumption on dental decay: a longitudinal targeted maximum likelihood estimation study

Abstract Dental decay in permanent teeth is the most prevalent disease worldwide, with 54% of young people under the age of 18 having experienced it. Despite these findings, there have been no studies that investigated the causal effects of time-varying exposure to higher sugar c …

19.02.2026

Communicating research findings: how linking terms and context affect the interpretation of conclusions

09.02.2026

Pathway for life course research in low-income and middle-income countries: Andhra Pradesh Children and Parents Study (APCAPS) 1994-2023

Abstract Low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) share a higher burden of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). Rapid transitions in the built environment impacts life course trajectories of physical activity, diet, and body composition. Life course epidemiology is a valid appro …