Preventive medicine
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Preventive medicine · Oct 2016
Active school transport and fast food intake: Are there racial and ethnic differences?
To investigate whether active school transport was associated with fast food consumption, and to examine differences across racial/ethnic groups. ⋯ AST appears to be a risk factor for fast food intake, and may expose some ethnic groups more than others to increased opportunity to purchase and consume fast food. Programs and policies to promote AST among adolescents should incorporate efforts to encourage healthy eating and discourage concentration of fast food outlets near schools.
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Preventive medicine · Oct 2016
The relationship between wealth and loneliness among older people across Europe: Is social participation protective?
1. Examine the relationship between household wealth, social participation and loneliness among older people across Europe. 2. Investigate whether relationships vary by type of social participation (charity/volunteer work, sports/social clubs, educational/training course, and political/community organisations) and gender. 3. Examine whether social participation moderates the association between wealth and loneliness. ⋯ Participation in external social activities may help to reduce loneliness among older adults and potentially acts as a buffer against the adverse effects of socioeconomic disadvantage.
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Preventive medicine · Oct 2016
The role of neighborhood characteristics and the built environment in understanding racial/ethnic disparities in childhood obesity.
Childhood obesity prevalence remains high and racial/ethnic disparities may be widening. Studies have examined the role of health behavioral differences. Less is known regarding neighborhood and built environment mediators of disparities. The objective of this study was to examine the extent to which racial/ethnic disparities in elevated child body mass index (BMI) are explained by neighborhood socioeconomic status (SES) and built environment. ⋯ Neighborhood SES and the built environment may be important drivers of childhood obesity disparities. To accelerate progress in reducing obesity disparities, interventions must be tailored to the neighborhood contexts in which families live.
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Preventive medicine · Oct 2016
Tobacco advertising, promotion, and sponsorship (TAPS) exposure, anti-TAPS policies, and students' smoking behavior in Botswana and South Africa.
We examined the change over time in tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship exposure and the concurrent changes in cigarette smoking behavior among students age 13 to 15years in two African countries with different anti-tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship policies. In South Africa, anti-tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship policies became more comprehensive over time and were more strictly enforced, whereas the partial anti-tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship policies adopted in Botswana were weakly enforced. ⋯ Enforcement of strong anti-tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship policies is a vital component of effective tobacco control programs in Africa. Such regulations, if effectively implemented, can reduce tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship exposure among adolescents and may influence cigarette smoking behavior.
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Preventive medicine · Oct 2016
Tobacco outlet density near home and school: Associations with smoking and norms among US teens.
This study examined whether living or going to school in neighborhoods with higher tobacco outlet density is associated with higher odds of cigarette smoking among teens, and with perceptions of greater smoking prevalence and peer approval. Using an Internet panel that is representative of US households, we matched data from teen-parent pairs (n=2771, surveyed June 2011-December 2012) with environmental data about home and school neighborhoods. Density was measured as the number of tobacco outlets per square mile for a ½-mile roadway service area around each participant's home and school. ⋯ Higher tobacco outlet density near schools was not associated with any outcomes. Living in neighborhoods with higher tobacco outlet density may contribute to teen smoking by increasing access to tobacco products and by cultivating perceptions that smoking is more prevalent. Policy interventions to restrict tobacco outlet density should not be limited to school environments.