Binge Drinking Mapped
The highest rates of underage binge drinking in the United States occurred in the northeast region of North Dakota in 2002–2004, with the lowest rates reported in the District of Columbia's Ward 7, according to a report from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Agency. The report, based on the results of the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, presented rates of binge drinking (consuming five or more drinks on the same occasion) in 340 substate areas among individuals aged 12–20 years. The lowest rate of binge drinking was 10.4% of the 12- to 20-year-old population. The highest rate was 36.1%, according to the SAMHSA report. “We have made real progress in convincing young people to abstain from drug use. Now we need to have the same positive results with alcohol abuse and dependence,” Eric B. Broderick, assistant surgeon general and acting administrator of SAMHSA, said in a statement. “We are working with states and communities to provide information and resources needed to mobilize against underage drinking.” The full report is available at
www.oas.samhsa.gov/substate2k6/substate.pdf
Citizenship Documentation Regs
Officials at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services should ease citizenship documentation requirements for Medicaid recipients and applicants, the National Association of Psychiatric Health Systems said in comments to the agency last month. CMS published an interim final rule that outlined requirements for citizenship documentation in the Federal Register on July 12. NAPHS called on CMS officials to change the phrase “incapacity of mind,” which is used in the regulation, to something that better describes individuals who, “due to a physical or mental condition,” cannot meet the documentation requirements. NAPHS also urged CMS officials to stop the delay in accessing benefits for new Medicaid applicants who have otherwise met eligibility requirements but are waiting for the required citizenship documentation.
Eating Disorder Prevention
An Internet-based prevention program can help certain college-aged women who are at risk of developing an eating disorder, according to the results of a study sponsored by the National Institutes of Health. The findings, which were published in the August issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry, show that there was no overall drop in the onset of eating disorders among women aged 18–30 years who were at high risk for developing an eating disorder. Participation in the intervention, however, was associated with a decline in the onset of eating disorders among women with baseline behaviors such as self-induced vomiting and laxative use and among women with a baseline body mass index of 25 or more. The intervention included an 8-week cognitive-behavioral intervention called “Student Bodies.” Participants were asked to read materials online, keep an online body image journal, and participate in an online discussion group. “This is the first study to show that eating disorders can be prevented among high-risk groups,” Dr. C. Barr Taylor, the lead study author, said in a statement.
HIV Treatment Adherence
Educational programs can be effective at improving adherence to HIV drug regimens when the programs are one-on-one and provide practical medication management strategies, according to a review of 19 randomized, controlled trials. The literature review, which was published in the Cochrane Library in July, also noted that interventions tended to be successful if they were conducted for longer periods of time, usually 12 weeks or more. Interventions that were performed on a one-on-one basis were successful in improving adherence to medication in 10 out of 15 such studies (67%). In the four studies conducted in group settings, none was successful in improving adherence. The 19 studies reviewed included 2,159 patients. The reviewers did not find evidence to support the use of more “complex psychological constructs” such as self-efficacy, stress management, and motivation.
Drug Code Directory Incomplete
The Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Inspector General has found that the Food and Drug Administration's National Drug Code Directory is incomplete and inaccurate, largely as a result of drug companies' failure to submit required data, though the FDA shares some blame. The NDC Directory is supposed to be a current compendium of marketed drug products. The FDA relies on internal reports and on submissions from pharmaceutical manufacturers, which must report when a new product is introduced or withdrawn. The OIG report is a snapshot of the NDC directory as of February 2005. At that time, there were 123,856 products with unique NDCs. The OIG found that the FDA's listing left off just more than 9,000 drug products. For about 16%, the drug maker either had not submitted required forms or the agency had not appropriately processed them. Listings for about 5,100 products had been held up because the companies had failed to provide needed information. Finally, the OIG found that 34,000 products listed were either no longer marketed or their entries contained erroneous information, mostly because drug makers had not told the FDA that the products were discontinued. In a comment submitted with the report, the FDA acknowledged many of the failures, but also said there was a decrease in the percentage of missing products since 1990.