Abstract: Coming soon

Abstract: Non-Hispanic (NH) Black birthing persons show the highest prevalence of low-risk cesareans (30.8%), compared to NH White birthing persons (25.3%). Individual, as well as place-based and ecological factors, may contribute to this racial disparity. We examine individual- and county-level characteristics that contribute to the racial disparity, as well as the extent to which the disparity can be attributed to differences in measured characteristics of racial groups. We retrieved data on all live births in the US, between 1998 to 2018, from natality files assembled by the National Center of Health Statistics Division of Vital Statistics. We conduct an Oaxaca-Blinder decomposition of all low-risk births (> 11 million) from all counties in the US. We find that differences in measured characteristics comprise 47.5% of the racial disparity. Older maternal age, higher birthweight percentile, and unmarried status contribute the greatest towards widening the disparity, whereas contextual factors, such as county-level poverty and education, play a more complex and nuanced role. Given that over half of the disparity remains unexplained, it indicates that unmeasured differences – either due to treatment of racial groups, patient preferences, or other healthcare supply-side factors — could play a significant role. Future research should investigate additional antecedents of low-risk cesareans among NH Black birthing persons. 

Presented at: PAA 2026

Abstract: Background: Existing research on female migration and healthcare in sub-Saharan Africa has predominantly focused on internal migration and maternal and child health, often overlooking broader healthcare access issues for (international) migrant women. 

Aim: This study aimed to quantitatively assess healthcare barriers faced by internal and international migrants relative to non-migrant women in The Gambia. 

Methods: Using the 2019–2020 Gambia Demographic and Health Survey and overlap weighting, we compare healthcare access – based on reported usage and key barriers – between non-migrants and internal or international migrants. We distinguish between recent and settled migrants according to the duration of residence at the destination. 

Results: We find that financial barriers are reported by 26.46% – 28.09% of women, geographic barriers by 21.47% – 26.02% and safety barriers by 11.85% – 15.37%. Internal female migrants encounter significantly more geographic (odds ratio [OR] = 1.32, 95% confidence interval [CI] [1.19, 1.45]), permission (OR = 1.43, 95% CI [1.16, 1.76]), safety (OR = 1.16, 95% CI [1.03, 1.30]) and financial (OR = 1.21, 95% CI [1.10, 1.33]) barriers than non-migrants – differences that persist for settled migrants. Conversely, international migrants do not experience more barriers than nonmigrants. In addition, migrants who have moved in the past 3 years used health services more than non-migrants, both for internal migrants (OR = 1.14, 95% CI [1.00, 1.31]) and for international migrants (OR = 1.42, 95% CI [1.02, 1.98]), but these differences disappear for settled migrants. 

Conclusions: Policy interventions should address disparities between internal migrants and non-migrants and improve healthcare access for all women.  

Presented at: VII Oxford Workshop on Immigration, Health and Wellbeing 2023, IMISCOE 2023

Abstract: Obstetricians and gynecologists (OB-GYNs) provide essential health care to women across their lifespan. Yet nearly half of US counties have no OB-GYNs, with nonmetropolitan communities disproportionately affected. Targeted Regulation of Abortion Providers (TRAP) laws, spurred by the 1992 US Supreme Court decision in Planned Parenthood v. Casey, impose regulatory burdens on abortion providers and may have influenced whether and where OB-GYNs choose to practice, which has not yet been comprehensively studied. Using a staggered difference-in-differences design and county-level data, we found that TRAP laws were associated with an average reduction of 4.67 percent in the density of OB-GYNs per 100,000 women ages 15–44 during the period 1993–2021, between Casey and the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision in 2022. TRAP laws affected both general and fellowship-trained OB-GYNs, as well as counties without abortion facilities. Concerningly, TRAP laws led to lower physician density in nonmetropolitan counties—a difference that persisted for a decade. As OB-GYN shortages are projected to worsen and TRAP laws are still in effect in twenty-four states, policy makers should consider the long-run effects of TRAP laws on women’s access to health care and their potential to exacerbate geographic disparities in access to care.  

Presented at: ASHEcon 2025, 7th Annual UIC Women's Health Research Day (Poster winner), UIC SPH Student Research Symposium (Doctoral presentation winner)

Media coverage: UIC Today

Abstract: Importance: Reducing children’s exposure to advertisements promoting unhealthy foods and beverages has been recognized by the World Health Organization as a key strategy to improve children’s diets and reduce childhood obesity.

Objective: To examine changes in children’s exposure to food-related (food, beverage, and restaurant) television advertising, including for products high in nutrients to limit (NTL; ie, saturated fat, trans fat, total sugars, and sodium) based on federal Interagency Working Group guidelines, following changes in the voluntary industry self-regulatory Children’s Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative (CFBAI).

Design, Setting, and Participants: This repeated cross-sectional study used US television ratings data on advertising exposure from The Nielsen Company for 2013, 2014, 2015, 2018, and 2022. Food and beverage product advertisements were assessed for nutritional content. Participants included 2- to 5-year-old and 6-to 11-year-old children. Data analysis was performed from July 2023 to January 2024.

Exposure: Changes in CFBAI standards in 2014 and 2020.

Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcome was the number of food-related advertisements seen per year and percentage of food and beverage product advertisements high in NTL, on all programming and children’s programming (defined as ≥35% child audience share).

Results: From 2013 to 2022, total advertisements seen per year declined by 77.6% (from 4611 to 1035) for 2- to 5-year-olds and by 78.5% (from 4860 to 1046) for 6- to 11-year-olds. Advertisements seen on children’s programming decreased by 95.1% (from 1703 to 84 per year) for 2- to 5-year-olds and by 97.0% (from 1745 to 52 per year) for 6- to 11-year-olds. The percentages of advertisements for products high in NTL decreased from 2013 to 2022 but were still high: 68.9% for all programming and 63.9% for children’s programming for 2- to 5-year-olds, and 68.4% for all programming and 60.6% for children’s programming for 6- to 11-year-olds. The majority (51%-52%) of CFBAI-member food and beverage advertisements on children’s programming remained high in NTL. Black children saw more food-related television advertisements than White children (58% more for 2- to 5-year-olds and 72% more for 6- to 11-year-olds); however, the percentage of advertisements for food and beverage products high in NTL seen was similar by race.

Conclusions and Relevance: In this repeated cross-sectional study of children’s exposure to food-related television advertisements, exposure via children’s programming decreased substantially. However, most advertisements seen were still for unhealthy products, and exposure from all programming remained substantial. Findings of more than 90% of advertising exposure not from children’s programming and more than 1000 food-related advertisements seen per year suggest the need for government regulations based on time of day rather than programming.

Presented at: APHA 2024

Media coverage: UIC Today

Abstract: Introduction: Ordering from kids’ menus and children's restaurant consumption is associated with greater purchasing and intake, respectively, of sugar-sweetened beverages. In response, policymakers have enacted strategies to improve the healthfulness of kids’ meal offerings. This study investigated restaurant kids’ meal beverage offerings and compliance with an Illinois healthy beverage default act, effective from January 1, 2022.

Methods: Using a pre–post intervention (Illinois)–comparison (Wisconsin) site research design, fast-food restaurant audit data were collected before and 1 year after the Illinois Healthy Beverage Default Act from 6 platforms: restaurant interior and drive-thru menu boards and websites/applications and 3 third-party ordering platforms (DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub). Analyses included 62–110 restaurants across platforms. Difference-in-differences–weighted logistic regression models with robust SEs, clustered on restaurants, were estimated to assess pre to 1-year postpolicy changes in overall compliance for each audit setting in Illinois relative to that in Wisconsin.

Results: This study found no statistically significant (p<0.05) changes in the compliance of kids’ meal beverage default offerings associated with the enactment of the Illinois Healthy Beverage Default Act in Illinois relative to that in Wisconsin at fast-food restaurants. There were some observed differences in results in the restaurants’ physical locations versus online that are worth noting. That is, after the enactment of the Illinois Healthy Beverage Default Act, the results showed greater odds of fast-food restaurants exclusively offering healthy beverage defaults with kids’ meals on restaurant interior (OR=1.83, 95% CI=0.93, 3.58) and drive-thru (OR=2.38, 95% CI=0.95, 5.96) menus, with weak statistical significance (p<0.10). However, the policy was not associated with either meaningful or statistically significant changes in healthy beverage default offerings on restaurant websites or third-party online ordering platforms.

Conclusions: This study found limited evidence of changes in kids’ meal beverage offerings attributable to the Illinois Healthy Beverage Default Act. Future investigations of communication channels that support awareness and implementation and the resources required for implementation and enforcement may provide insight that is key to improving compliance.

Key findings: In 2022, only 2 TV ads per year for toddler milks were seen by adults on average, which represents a 90% decrease from 2013. Infant formulas were barely advertised on TV as adults saw 0-4 ads per year between 2013 and 2022. By contrast, adults saw 15-17 TV ads for infant foods in both 2013 and 2022, with some fluctuations in the intervening years. 75% of 16 sampled stores from a large U.S. metropolitan area offered toddler milks to consumers in 2024. Five stores organized formulas by brand, leading to infant formulas and toddler milks occupying the same shelf space. Six individual toddler milks were encountered in at least 25% of stores, and they all included added sugars and less protein compared to whole milk. 

Abstract: Coming soon

Abstract: Coming soon

Abstract: Coming soon