VDH Research Spotlight
Adventist Health Study-2
The Adventist Health Study-2 (AHS 2) is a large on-going longitudinal study of 96,000 U.S. Seventh-day Adventists, including 26,000 African American participants, originally conducted between 2002 and 2007.
With about half the cohort following vegetarian diets and very low rates of smoking and alcohol use, the study offers a unique opportunity to examine relationships between diet and cancer risk.
Findings across roughly 200 publications show that vegetarians experience about 10–15% fewer new cancers overall, with notable reductions in colorectal, stomach, and lymphoma cancers.
Additional analyses found that vegans had about 25% fewer breast and prostate cancers. Low or no dairy intake appeared protective for these hormone related cancers, with risk increasing as milk consumption rose.
In contrast, dairy and calcium intake were associated with lower colorectal cancer risk.
Continued research in AHS 2 benefits significantly from collaboration with the Virginia Cancer Registry.
Virginia Beach Department of Public Health Long COVID Study
To assess Long COVID’s impact on the Virginia Beach community, the Virginia Beach Health District developed the following study objectives:
- Determine the incidence and distribution of Long COVID among Virginia Beach residents meeting the case definition for confirmed and probable COVID‑19 infection during the designated study period.
- Assess how Long COVID affects daily functioning.
- Identify the service needs resulting from these impacts and determine whether those needs are being met.
All the laboratory confirmed cases in Virginia Beach residents reported during Calendar Years 2023 and 2024 recorded in the Virginia Electronic Disease Surveillance System (VEDSS) were used as the pool for the selection of subjects for the study.
A scripted phone interview was developed using questions largely taken from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics’ Household Pulse Survey.
The study used the following Long COVID case definition:
A study participant that experienced an onset or recurrence of one or more signs, symptoms, and conditions of initial COVID infection 3 or more months after onset that lingered or worsened over time with the possibility of severe and life-threatening events months or years after infection.
Based on the Long COVID case definition, the incidence of Long COVID in the city of Virginia Beach was determined to be 8.5% among cases occurring during the months from January 2023 through March 2024.
Distribution by gender was 71.6% female (n= 348) and 28.4% male (n=138); by ethnicity was 7.9% Hispanic; by race, predominantly white at 61.3%, followed by 29.6% Black and 9.1% all other races and combinations.
The impact of Long COVID on activities of daily living for the 486 people meeting the study case definition was found to have a minimal to great impact for about 75% with the remaining quarter claiming no impact on daily life. The needs encountered were wide-ranging but were largely medical services, food assistance and transportation. Most cases were able to find resources to meet their needs.
Recommendations:
- The role of public health in primary prevention of COVID-19 through continued education in respiratory etiquette and immunization is vital to the prevention of Long COVID particularly for high-risk populations subject to complications and death from COVID-19. High-risk populations must continue to be informed and encouraged to seek immunization and early treatment with antivirals where appropriate to reduce their risk of developing Long COVID.
- Future resources should be applied to COVID prevention and mitigation activities (immunization and treatment of those at high risk), public awareness and provider education, and community outreach to address health equity and care coordination.
- Virginia Beach District should continue to develop and expand its Community Health Worker program, including strengthening relationships with the provider community that will continue to identify and treat those with Long COVID and link them to care.
- Advocacy for funding Long COVID efforts at the state and national level will be needed well into the future to address the needs of the population impacted by Long COVID.
For additional information please contact the Virginia Beach Health District Epidemiology Office at 757-278-6290.
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