Anthony Kondracki

• MD PhD
• Assistant Professor at Mercer University

Background: Research investigating the wellbeing of term neonates in the United States is scarce. The objectives of this study were to estimate the prevalence of low birthweight (LBW) and neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) admission among term singletons in association with maternal smoking intensity exposure status, to explore LBW as a mediator l...

Background Studies have explored the connections between tobacco use, sleep and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risks in adults, but no study has examined the link between tobacco use and sleep among adults with CVDs. This study explores the association between tobacco use (cigarette only, e-cigarette only, and dual use) and poor sleep duration among...

Background The maternal mortality rate in the United States is high and disparities among non-Hispanic White and non-Hispanic Black women remain. In the State of Georgia, the pregnancy-related death rate is among the worst in the nation. Objective To examine current pregnancy-related deaths in the State of Georgia using measures of timing and caus...

Purpose To explore a potential interaction between the effect of specific maternal smoking patterns and the presence of antenatal depression, as independent exposures, in causing postpartum depression (PPD). Methods This case–control study of participants with singleton term births (N = 51220) was based on data from the 2017–2018 Pregnancy Risk As...

Objectives: This study investigates the effect of e-cigarette-related harm and addiction perceptions on e-cigarette initiation among US tobacco-naïve adolescents. Methods: Using data from five waves (2013-2019) of the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health Study, we created a longitudinal dataset for 2,775 youth aged 12-17 years who had no pr...

Background: The perinatal period is a time of increased vulnerability for perinatal mood and anxiety disorders (PMADs). Emotional trauma is a risk factor for PMAD development and is common among survivors of extreme weather events (EWEs), which are becoming more frequent and intense as the climate crisis progresses. EWE-related stress and anxiety h...

Objective: To understand the risk of unplanned hysterectomy (UH) in pregnant women better in association with maternal sociodemographic characteristics, cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors, and current pregnancy complications. Design: Using Florida birth data from 2005 to 2014, we investigated the possible interactions between known risk f...

The first postpartum year presents threats to the mental health of birthing parents and obstacles to accessing care. Digital mental health interventions (DMHIs) hold potential to increase postpartum mental healthcare access. However, DMHIs tend to promote limited engagement particularly when they are self-guided (when they do not involve contact wi...

Objective In this discussion, we build the case for why climate change is an emerging threat to perinatal mental health. Method A search of current literature on perinatal and maternal mental health and extreme weather events was conducted in PubMed/MEDLINE and Web of Science databases. Only articles focusing on maternal mental health were include...

This case-control study aimed to test interaction between the most common sexually transmitted infections (STIs) (i.e., chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis) and prenatal care (PNC) utilization status on preterm birth (PTB) (<37 weeks gestation) and low birthweight (LBW) (<2500 g). We used data of participants with singleton live births (N = 3,418,02...

Purpose: To update the overall prevalence of preterm birth (PTB) (<37 weeks gestation) and low birthweight (LBW) (<2,500 g) in the State of Georgia, including rural and urban counties. Methods: A sample was drawn from the 2017-2018 Georgia Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS). In the complete-case data of singleton births (n=1,258...

Background: Electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) and cannabis (marijuana) use is rapidly increasing. Objectives: To report percentage prevalence and changes over time in current (past 30 days) e-cigarette, cannabis, and dual (concurrent) use in the population of reproductive age women (18-44 years old) in the United States. Methods: Our cross-section...

Neuroticism has been linked to an increased likelihood of cognitive failures, including episodes of inattentiveness, forgetfulness, or accidents causing difficulties in successfully executing everyday tasks and impacting health and quality of life. Cognitive failures associated with trait neuroticism can prompt some negative psychological outcomes...

Background: Maternal pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) is strongly associated with infant birthweight and the risk differs in pregnancies complicated by gestational diabetes (GDM). Objectives: To examine the risk of large for gestational age (LGA) (≥97th percentile) singleton births at early term, full term and late term in relation to materna...

Purpose This study aimed to assess the association between nighttime sleep, daytime napping, and metabolic syndrome (MetS) in an elderly Chinese population. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted using data from the 2011 China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) to examine the association between nighttime sleep, daytime nappi...

Objective: China's Great Famine between 1959 and 1961 has contributed to numerous adverse health outcomes in Chinese. This study aimed to examine the association between exposure to famine in early life and self-rated health (SRH) in adulthood. Methods: 4418 Chinese adults from the 2011 China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study were include...

Background: We aimed to examine the association between sleep duration and cognitive impairment among elderly Chinese people. Methods: generalized linear modeling was used to analyze the baseline data for adults aged 65 years and over (n = 4785) selected from the 2011 China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS). The two aspects of co...

PurposeStroke is a major cause of death in China. This study aimed to investigate the association between sleep duration (nighttime sleep and daytime napping) and stroke in elderly Chinese individuals with self-reported health status.MethodsA total of 4785 Chinese adults over 65 years from the 2011 China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CH...

Job-related stress may affect smoking initiation, progression, and intensity, therefore, it is important to have a better understanding of these associations to design targeted and effective workplace cessation programs. In this study, we aimed to synthesize existing literature concerning the relationship between job-related stress and tobacco use...

Abstract Background Research investigating the wellbeing of term neonates in the United States is scarce. The objectives of this study were to estimate the prevalence of low birthweight (LBW) and neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) admission among term singletons in association with maternal smoking intensity exposure status, to explore LBW as a me...

Background: The objective of this study was to examine the prevalence of smoking by intensity status before pregnancy and during early (first and second trimester) and late (third trimester) pregnancy according to race/ethnicity, age, and educational attainment of women who gave birth in the United States in 2016. Methods: This cross-sectional s...

Background Reducing the incidence of preterm birth is a national priority. Maternal cigarette smoking is strongly and consistently associated with preterm birth. The objective of this study was to examine prenatal exposure based on combined measures of timing (by trimester) and intensity level (the number of cigarettes smoked per day) of maternal s...

Background: While alcohol consumption is pervasive in the country of Georgia, the extent of alcohol consumption among pregnant women is yet to be examined. The goal of this study is to examine prevalence and correlates of alcohol consumption during pregnancy in Georgia. Methods: Using data from the World Health Organization’s Stepwise approach to n...

Legalizing marijuana, whether for medical use, for recreation, or for recreation under the guise of medicine, has raised concerns about stoned drivers imperiling the safety of other drivers. In response, legislators have set legal limits for THC (Delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol), the primary psychoactive component in marijuana 1. Legislators in Washin...