Deplatforming puts sex workers at risk, study says
A study by CUNY SPH alumna Melissa Ditmore and team suggests that laws criminalizing sex work don’t prevent human trafficking and leave sex workers vulnerable to coercion and unsafe conditions.
In a national survey developed in partnership with sex workers across the U.S., Dr. Ditmore and colleagues found that sex workers use a range of online platforms. However, due to recent laws banning the promotion of prostitution, platforms often remove and/or limit sex workers’ access, thereby restricting their ability to earn income and compromising their safety.
Sex workers have long pioneered the use of online platforms for advertising, providing services, screening clients, collecting payments, and peer-interaction, among other activities. In response to laws like the Stop Enabling Sex Traffickers Act (SESTA) and the Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act (FOSTA), which allow law enforcement to prosecute online providers perceived to be promoting sex work, a number of platforms developed policies to avoid prosecution. Research shows this has compromised sex workers’ capacities to live and work safely. Without a platform to advertise and screen clients, for example, the sex worker may be forced to engage in riskier behavior such as seeking clients in public spaces and accepting riskier interactions.
These laws don’t impact all sex workers equally, the authors say. Their effects stratify along the lines of race, gender, and ability.
“We found that income loss and safety loss are more likely for non-white/gender-expansive/disabled de-platformed sex workers than they are for white/cis/non-disabled sex workers,” says Dr. Ditmore.
Among sex workers, scholars, and advocates, there is an ever-growing consensus that laws like SESTA/FOSTA do little to help sex workers live and work safely, the authors say. This study furthers arguments in favor of repealing such laws.
Majic S, Ditmore M, Li J. 440 Sex Workers Cannot Be Wrong: Engaging and Negotiating Online Platform Power. Social Sciences. 2024; 13(7):337.
In COVID’s wake, gauging attitudes toward a potential HIV vaccine
A study by researchers from the CUNY Institute for Implementation Science in Population Health (ISPH) at CUNY SPH found that gay and bisexual men reported a general willingness to consider a potential HIV vaccine, while expressing concerns about side effects, safety, and potential barriers.
For the study, doctoral candidate Alexa D’Angelo, MPH students Michelle Dearolf, Jennifer MacMartin, and Mathew Elder, Distinguished Professors Christian Grov, Denis Nash, and Sarit Golub of Hunter College used data collected as part of the Together 5000 study, a U.S. national, internet-based cohort study of adult cisgender men, transgender women, and transgender men who were vulnerable to HIV. The researchers conducted in-depth interviews with non-PrEP-using men who have sex with men on their perceptions of a potential HIV vaccine.
Participants expressed a spectrum of attitudes towards an HIV vaccine, ranging from enthusiastic support to cautious optimism and skepticism. Positive perceptions were often linked to community-oriented altruism, where individuals felt a sense of duty to protect not only themselves but also their community from HIV.
Concerns about potential side effects and the efficacy of the vaccine were prominent among participants. There was also a notable mistrust in the vaccine development process, which was exacerbated by the experiences and narratives surrounding COVID-19 vaccines.
“The study highlights the importance of addressing both the motivators and barriers to vaccine acceptance among gay and bisexual men to inform future HIV vaccine implementation efforts,” says D’Angelo. “Understanding these perceptions can help tailor communication strategies and interventions to increase vaccine uptake when an HIV vaccine becomes available.”
D’Angelo, A.B., Dearolf, M.H., MacMartin, J. et al. Gay and Bisexual Men’s Perceptions about a Potential HIV Vaccine within a Post-COVID-19 Era: A Qualitative Study. AIDS Behav (2024).
Groundbreaking study highlights hepatitis C prevalence in people who inject drugs
A pioneering study sheds new light on the hepatitis C (HCV) virus epidemic among young people who inject drugs in New York City.
This research, led by Drs. Honoria Guarino and Pedro Mateu-Gelabert and their team from the CUNY Institute for Implementation Science in Population Health (ISPH) at CUNY SPH marks a significant step forward in understanding the virus among this vulnerable population.
The study, published July 2024 in Health Science Reports, is one of the first studies to employ phylogenetic analysis to help understand infection patterns among young people who inject drugs, providing crucial insights into the genetic linkages and transmission dynamics of HCV. The phylogenetic component is an important part of the innovation of this study, offering a novel approach to understanding the spread of HCV in this high-risk population.
The research was conducted in collaboration with CUNY SPH doctoral student Seanna Pratt, Dr. Renee Hallack from the New York State Department of Health, and Dr. Ben Eckhardt from the NYU School of Medicine.
From 2018 to 2021, the team screened 439 young people who use opioids in New York City as part of the Staying Safe (Ssafe) trial, which evaluated a behavioral HCV prevention intervention. The screening procedures included a brief verbal questionnaire, a visual check for injection marks, on-site urine drug testing, rapid HCV antibody testing, and Dried Blood Spot (DBS) collection. The study found that among the 330 participants who reported injecting drugs in the past six months, 33% tested positive for HCV antibodies, and 58% of those had an active infection.
“The relatively low prevalence of active HCV infection among study participants suggests that treatment-as-prevention strategies could significantly reduce HCV prevalence among young people who inject drugs,” says Dr. Mateu-Gelabert. “Targeted community serosurveys are vital for identifying actively infected individuals and linking them to treatment, which can help curb HCV incidence and transmission.”
The findings from this study highlight the critical need for ongoing surveillance and intervention efforts targeting young people who inject drugs. By identifying and treating actively infected individuals, public health initiatives can make significant strides toward eliminating HCV in the U.S.
Pedro M-G, Seanna P, Honoria G, Renee H, Chunki F, Ben E. HCV prevalence and phylogenetic characteristics in a cross-sectional, community study of young people who inject drugs in New York City: opportunity for and threats to HCV elimination. Health Sci Rep. 2024; 7:e2211. doi:10.1002/hsr2.2211
Study finds high rates of alcohol misuse and binge drinking among Harlem residents during COVID-19
A study published in the Journal of Urban Health by CUNY SPH doctoral student Thinh Vu and faculty Pedro Mateu-Gelabert, Deborah Levine, Luisa N. Borrell and Victoria K. Ngo found that high rates of alcohol misuse and binge drinking were prevalent among Harlem residents during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The study found that Approximately 42.7% of Harlem residents reported drinking alcohol before the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City and 69.1% reported alcohol use during the pandemic. More than a third initiated or increased alcohol consumption during the pandemic (38.7%). Over half of residents reported alcohol misuse (52.3%) and binge drinking (57.0%) during COVID-19. Among those who engage in binge drinking, 38.9% reported infrequent binge drinking with less than monthly or monthly basis, and 18.1% reported frequent binge drinking on a weekly, daily or almost daily basis.
The findings suggest that Harlem residents may have resorted to alcohol use as a coping mechanism to deal with the impacts of depression and social stressors during COVID-19. To mitigate alcohol misuse, improving access to mental health and substance use disorder services and addressing public safety through improving relations with police could be beneficial.
“The findings of this study are concerning, as they suggest that alcohol misuse and binge drinking are significant public health problems in Harlem,” says Vu. “It will be important to direct public health measures and policies toward not just alcohol misuse, but its psycho-social factors.”
TT Vu, JP Dario, P Mateu-Gelabert, D Levine, MA Punter, LN Borrell, and VK Ngo. Alcohol misuse, binge drinking, and their association with depression severity, and perceptions of police during COVID-19 among Harlem residents in New York City. Journal of Urban Health (2023). DOI: doi.org/10.1007/s11524-023-00738-7
Study: Abortion and miscarriage care was significantly delayed during COVID-19 pandemic
A study by CUNY SPH researchers found that those seeking abortion and miscarriage care in New York State during the COVID-19 pandemic experienced considerable delays.
For the study, published in Women’s Health Reports, CUNY SPH doctoral candidate Sarah Pickering, Professor Diana Romero, Associate Professor Meredith Manze, and alumna Jessie Losch administered a cross-sectional survey in June and July of 2020 to New York State residents aged 18-44 years who identified as female or transgender male.
The team found that, of the 21 respondents in the sample who sought or were seeking an abortion during the pandemic, 76.2% reported experiencing a delay in obtaining abortion care, compared to 18.2% of those who experienced a delay prior to the pandemic. A significantly higher proportion of respondents who were pregnant during the pandemic considered abortion, compared to those who gave birth prior to the pandemic. Of the 39 respondents who miscarried during the pandemic, 35.9% delayed care, compared to 5.9% prior to the pandemic.
“Abortion and miscarriage care are essential services that must be available during public health emergencies, and yet access to these services is now severely limited in many states due to the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision,” says Pickering.
Sarah Pickering, Meredith Manze, Jessie Losch, and Diana Romero. Delays in Obtaining Abortion and Miscarriage Care Among Pregnant Persons in New York State During the COVID-19 Pandemic: The CAP Study. Women’s Health Reports. Jan 2024.30-39.
New study explains why mothers and children often share a birth month
Do you share a birth month with your mom? According to a new study by Distinguished Professor Luisa N. Borrell, affiliated faculty member Francisco Bolúmar, and colleagues, you are not alone.
Previous research has shown that women’s season of birth somehow influences that of their children, but the reasons why have been unclear. Using data from all births that occurred in Spain during the years 1980–83 and 2016–19 and in France during 2000–03 and 2010–13, the researchers analyzed the possibility of transmission of birth season between generations, testing whether relatives tended to be born in the same season.
They found an association or similarity between parents’ and children’s birth seasons that partially explains the stability of seasonal birth patterns over time. The association also existed between parents’ birth seasons, which is explained by an excess of marriages with spouses born in the same month.
“Different socio-demographic groups show differentiated birth patterns, and relatives share sociodemographic features,” Borrell explains. “Birth season seems to be related to family characteristics, which should be controlled for when assessing birth-month effects on subsequent social/health outcomes.”
The study contributes significantly to research on the social and biological dynamics underlying birth seasonality by unravelling an association that can only be uncovered using large microdata sets.
Adela Recio Alcaide, César Pérez López, Miguel Ángel Ortega, Luisa N. Borrell & Francisco Bolúmar (2023) Is there an association between family members’ season of birth that could influence birth seasonality? Evidence from Spain and France, Population Studies, DOI: 10.1080/00324728.2023.2272983
A call for ethical guidelines for social media data use in public health research
Three studies by CUNY SPH investigators highlight the need for stronger guidance on research ethics for using data from social media platforms in public health research, especially the use of personal identifiers.
For a study published in Social Science & Medicine, alumni Hannah Stuart Lathan, Joshua P. Tanner and Rachel Wormer, with doctoral graduate and researcher Amy Kwan, Research Assistant Courtney Takats, Professor Diana Romero, and Associate Professor Heidi Jones conducted a systematic review of Facebook-based public health research published in peer-reviewed journals.
Researchers increasingly use Facebook content and activity as a data source since much of it is publicly available, but the authors question the ethics of this, given that users generally do not read or understand the platform’s privacy policies and are unaware of the visibility of their data to anyone aside from their Facebook “friends.” Moreover, when made aware of Facebook’s privacy policies, users are overwhelmingly unsupportive.
Almost two thirds of the studies reviewed included users’ written content, mostly verbatim user posts. Among those studies whose content had not been removed the platform, the research team was able to locate users or posts in 10 minutes or less for half of them. A significant amount of personal information was attached to this content, including race, age, education level and relationship status.
“It was concerning to identify these users with such minimal effort, especially those who may be considered part of a vulnerable population, such as adolescents and people experiencing mental health problems or substance use disorders,” says Lathan, who led this review for her master’s essay.
A study by the same team with alumna Dari Goldman in the Journal of Medical Internet Research reviewed articles using data from X, the platform previously known as Twitter, and found that only a third (32%) sought ethical approval from an institutional review board, while 17% included identifying information on X users or tweets and 36% attempted to anonymize identifiers.
Finally, a third study in the same journal, led by Tanner for his master’s essay, sought to understand the types of public health research being implemented with YouTube data and the methodologies and research ethics processes applied to this research. The majority (69%) of articles made no mention of ethical considerations in study design or data collection. Thirty-three (28%) contained identifying information about content creators or video commenter. About a quarter of studies sought Institutional Review Board approval (26%), but only one sought informed consent from content creators.
“The lack of clarity around inclusion of YouTube videos in research is especially problematic, given that it is not always clear whether all individuals included in a video have consented to being taped and having the video shared publicly,” says Tanner.
The authors assert that public health researchers should not be left to figure out the very complex and oftentimes opaque terrain of privacy aspects of social media data, much less make individual decisions on what data should or should not be protected. They recommend that committees overseeing research with human subjects develop guidelines for best ethical practices for research involving data from social media platforms.
Hannah Stuart Lathan, Amy Kwan, Courtney Takats, Joshua P. Tanner, Rachel Wormer, Diana Romero, Heidi E. Jones, Ethical considerations and methodological uses of Facebook data in public health research: A systematic review, Social Science & Medicine, Volume 322, 2023, 115807, ISSN 0277-9536, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2023.115807.
Takats C, Kwan A, Wormer R, Goldman D, Jones HE, Romero D, Ethical and Methodological Considerations of Twitter Data for Public Health Research: Systematic Review, J Med Internet Res 2022;24(11):e40380. doi: 10.2196/40380
Tanner JP, Takats C, Lathan HS, Kwan A, Wormer R, Romero D, Jones HE, Approaches to Research Ethics in Health Research on YouTube: Systematic Review, J Med Internet Res 2023;25:e43060. doi: 10.2196/43060
CUNY SPH researchers unveil comprehensive database of published microbial signatures
A new study published by researchers from the CUNY Institute for Implementation Science in Population Health (ISPH) at CUNY SPH and colleagues presents BugSigDB, a community-editable database of manually curated microbial signatures from published studies.
The database records essential methods and results to enable high-throughput analysis of similarity of microbial signatures identified by independent studies, of co-occurrence and co-exclusion of individual microbes and of consensus signatures conserved across multiple studies of similar health outcomes and exposures. It allows assessment of microbiome differential abundance within and across experimental conditions, environments or body sites.
First author Ludwig Geistlinger started the project as a postdoctoral student at CUNY SPH. He is now associate director of computational biology at the Center for Computational Biomedicine at Harvard Medical School.
“BugSigDB is the first comprehensive collection of published microbial signatures that can be used to compare host-associated differential microbial abundance across independent studies,” says Dr. Geistlinger. “It helped us to uncover reproducible patterns of differential microbial abundance within and across health outcomes that we couldn’t notice from just reading the published literature without standardizing it.”
BugSigDB — a database for identifying unusual abundance patterns in human microbiome studies. Nat Biotechnol 42, 708–709 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41587-023-01930-5
Study gauges police-related stress among gay and bisexual men
A study among a national cohort of gay and bisexual mean reveals extreme police-related stress in men of color and low-income men, compared to their White and higher-income counterparts.
For the study, CUNY SPH doctoral candidate Alexa D’Angelo and alumna Erinn Bacchus, along with Professor Christian Grov, used data collected as part of the Together 5000 study, a U.S. national, internet-based cohort study of men, trans men and trans women who have sex with men.
As part of the cohort study, participants received annual internet-based surveys. On their 36-month assessments, which began in fall 2020 and ran through spring 2021, the researchers included measures on experiences regarding police-related stress. In total, 4236 gay and bisexual men completed the assessment and were included in the final sample.
The results show that the odds of reporting extreme police-related stress were 2.7 times higher for Black individuals than for their white counterparts. Odds were also significantly greater for those who have experienced race-based or identity-based discrimination.
“People of color and sexual minorities have been historically over-policed and targeted based on their race/ethnicity and identity,” says Bacchus. “Police-related stress should be considered for its potential deleterious effect on HIV vulnerability and reporting violent crime—such as intimate partner violence and hate crimes—to police.”
Bacchus, E. C., D’Angelo, A. B., & Grov, C. (2023). Experiences of police-related stress among a U.S. national cohort of gay and bisexual men. American Journal of Community Psychology, 1–12.
Study explores association between alcohol outlet density and violent crime in historically redlined neighborhoods
Low-income neighborhoods that were subject to federally-sanctioned redlining beginning in the 1930s tend to host high concentrations of businesses that sell alcohol for either on- or off-premise consumption.
A new study by Assistant Professor Sean Haley, PhD student Shari Jardine, Associate Professor Elizabeth Kelvin, Associate Professor Andrew Maroko and Christopher Herrmann of Jon Jay College assesses whether the associations between alcohol outlet density and violent crime are modified by a history of redlining.
In the paper, published in February in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, the researchers looked at the association between alcohol outlet density and violent crime in NYC between 2014 and 2018. They found that high alcohol outlet concentration was strongly associated with violent crime, and that the relationship was stronger in neighborhoods that had a legacy of redlining.
In the study, CUNY researchers found that formerly redlined NYC neighborhoods had the strongest associations between off-premise (e.g. liquor stores, bodegas) alcohol density and violent crime. The structural effects of redlining remained when current socioeconomic indicators were adjusted for (e.g. education levels, home ownership, and poverty within the neighborhoods), suggesting that formerly-redlined areas continue to be associated with crime decades after such practices were made illegal. Interestingly, only non-redlined neighborhoods demonstrated an association between on-premise (e.g. bars, clubs) alcohol outlets and violent crime.
“It is important to note that we cannot say that alcohol outlets cause violent crimes, but, given that similar findings have been identified across the country, we can say that they are a strong contributing factor,” says Haley. “Given the limited number of strategies available for preventing violent crime, the NY State Liquor Authority, in partnership with communities, might consider reducing alcohol availability in disproportionately impacted neighborhoods.”
Haley, S.J.; Jardine, S.J.; Kelvin, E.A.; Herrmann, C.; Maroko, A.R. Neighborhood Alcohol Outlet Density, Historical Redlining, and Violent Crime in NYC 2014–2018. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20, 3212.
