Preventive medicine
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Although there is no empirical evidence linking gun ownership with better sleep, speculation is widespread in gun culture. We assess the direct association between gun ownership and sleep disturbance and whether gun ownership moderates the association between neighborhood fear and sleep disturbance. We use four waves of cross-sectional data from the General Social Survey (2010-2018) and logistic regression to model sleep disturbance as a function of gun ownership and test the statistical interaction of gun ownership and neighborhood fear. ⋯ Our analyses are important because they contribute to our understanding of the epidemiology of sleep. They also challenge theoretical perspectives and cultural narratives about how having a gun in the home helps individuals and their families to feel safe, secure, and protected. Additional research is needed to replicate our findings using longitudinal data and more reliable measures of sleep disturbance.
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Preventive medicine · Mar 2020
Cancer symptom awareness in the US: Sociodemographic differences in a population-based survey of adults.
Symptom awareness may improve cancer outcomes by prompting timely help-seeking and diagnosis. Research in the UK has shown lower symptom awareness among sociodemographic groups at higher risk of poor cancer outcomes; however, no population-based surveys in the US have assessed whether cancer symptom awareness varies across sociodemographic groups. We therefore examined associations between sociodemographic factors and recognition of 11 cancer symptoms using a novel population-based survey of US adults. ⋯ As socioeconomic inequalities in cancer mortality widen, it is increasingly important to understand factors that may contribute to these disparities. Our results suggest that US adults of lower SES have lower cancer symptom awareness across symptoms, findings that echo results from other developed countries. With low rates of cancer screening, another approach to reducing cancer burden and disparities may be through greater symptom awareness for symptoms with lower awareness, though additional work is needed to identify mechanisms through which awareness may have its effects on cancer outcomes.
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Preventive medicine · Mar 2020
ReviewPredictive value of traditional risk factors for cardiovascular disease in older people: A systematic review.
With increasing age, associations between traditional risk factors (TRFs) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) shift. It is unknown which mid-life risk factors remain relevant predictors for CVD in older people. We systematically searched PubMed and EMBASE on August 16th 2019 for studies assessing predictive ability of >1 of fourteen TRFs for fatal and non-fatal CVD, in the general population aged 60+. ⋯ SBP, HDL cholesterol and smoking may also have predictive value. Other blood pressure and cholesterol related variables, BMI, and LVH seem of very limited or no additional value. Without competing risk analysis, predictors are overestimated.
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Preventive medicine · Mar 2020
Randomized Controlled TrialEffectiveness of a stepwise cardiometabolic disease prevention program: Results of a randomized controlled trial in primary care.
Effective preventive strategies for cardiometabolic disease (CMD) are needed. We aim to establish the effectiveness of a stepwise CMD risk assessment followed by individualized treatment if indicated compared to care as usual. We conducted a RCT between 2014 and 2017. ⋯ A significant drop in systolic blood pressure and cholesterol levels was found after one year of treatment. Modelling of these results should confirm the effect on long term endpoints. Trial registration: Dutch trial Register number NTR4277.
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Preventive medicine · Mar 2020
A longitudinal study on the relationship between screen time and adolescent alcohol use: The mediating role of social norms.
It has been proposed that increased screen time contributes to increasing rates of adolescents abstaining from alcohol use. We argue that this proposition depends on the extent to which a type of screen time promotes social norms. We examined whether social norms mediated the association between alcohol use and i) social media, ii) television, and iii) video gaming. ⋯ Alcohol-related social norms were shown to mediate the association between social media use, both at a correlational and longitudinal level, and the association between alcohol use and television use and alcohol use, at a longitudinal level, which may imply that these promote positive social norms towards alcohol use, subsequently increasing adolescents' drinking behaviour.