Preventive medicine
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Preventive medicine · Dec 2021
A descriptive exploration of the geographic and sociodemographic concentration of firearm homicide in the United States, 2004-2018.
This study examined the population-based incidence of firearm homicide in the United States to identify geographic concentrations and to determine whether such concentrations have changed over time. It further examined the simultaneous associations of urbanization, poverty, and ethnicity/race with firearm homicide incidence. Using county-level data from the National Vital Statistics System and the U. ⋯ Census Bureau for the years 2004-2018, the findings show geographic patterns not commonly recognized, including several lengthy and continuous corridors with a high incidence of firearm homicide, traversing both metro and non-metro areas. While the data clearly show a strongly disproportionate concentration of firearm homicide incidence in a subset of the population defined by geography, they do not suggest increasing concentration over time. The study findings also generally indicate increasing firearm homicide incidence with increasing levels of surrounding poverty, a phenomenon observed for both metro and non-metro areas.
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Preventive medicine · Dec 2021
Review Meta AnalysisEffectiveness of community-based cardiovascular disease prevention interventions to improve physical activity: A systematic review and meta-regression.
Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) remain a leading cause of morbidity and mortality globally. Despite preventive community-based interventions (CBIs) seem efficacious in reducing CVD risks, a comprehensive up-to-date synthesis on the effectiveness of such interventions in improving physical activity (PA) is lacking. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of community-based CVD preventive interventions aimed at improving PA level. ⋯ Moreover, interventions targeting high-risk groups showed greater effectiveness than those targeting the general population (OR: 1.76; 95%CI: 1.30-2.39 vs. 1.17; 95%CI: 0.89-1.55). In conclusion, community-based CVD preventive interventions have a positive impact on improving the PA level, albeit that relevant studies in lower-middle and low-income countries are limited. With the rising burden of CVDs, rolling out CBIs targeting the general population and high-risk groups are needed to control the growing CVD-burden.
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Preventive medicine · Dec 2021
Screen time and child behaviour and health-related quality of life: Effect of family context.
This study investigated family contextual effects on the association between screen time, behaviour and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in child siblings. Data were from 1772 participants in the Australian Longitudinal Study of Women's Health 1973-78 cohort and their three youngest children (N = 4010 siblings) aged two to 12, collected in Mothers and their Children's Health cross-sectional sub-study (2016/17). The exposure was average daily recreational screen time (televisions, computers, tablets, mobile phones, electronic games). ⋯ For HRQOL, within-family effects were found for psychosocial (-0.97 (-1.91, -0.02)) and physical (-1.32 (-2.25, -0.39)) HRQOL, but no between-family effects were found. In conclusion, the higher the average screen time by all children in the family, the worse the child's behaviour, while the greater the deviation of the child's screen time from their siblings, the poorer their HRQOL. Family contextual factors should be considered in screen time research and screen time recommendations.
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Preventive medicine · Dec 2021
Meta AnalysisE-cigarette use and adverse respiratory symptoms among adolescents and Young adults in the United States.
E-cigarette use among adolescents and young adults has been associated with adverse respiratory symptoms, including symptoms of asthma and bronchitis. This investigation examined whether such associations differ by primary type of e-cigarette device used. This cross-sectional study included data from four study populations in California and Connecticut, United States, ages 13-21 years (N = 10,483), who self-reported their tobacco use behaviors and health status from 2018 to 2020. ⋯ Among past 30-day e-cigarette users, associations with respiratory symptoms did not differ by device type. In these populations, e-cigarette use was positively associated with symptoms of bronchitis and shortness of breath, but adjusted odds of symptoms did not differ meaningfully by device type. These findings suggest that risk of these respiratory outcomes is elevated among more frequent e-cigarette users regardless of device type used.
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Preventive medicine · Dec 2021
ReviewThe built and social neighborhood environment and child obesity: A systematic review of longitudinal studies.
The built and social neighborhood environment where a child lives has been increasingly studied as an exposure that may affect child weight long term. We conducted a systematic review of primary research articles published in 2011 through 2019 that reported results from longitudinal analyses of associations between neighborhood environment characteristics and child obesity or weight. Neighborhood environment measures included proximity to food stores, parks, and recreational facilities, walkability, crime, perceived safety, and social cohesion. ⋯ Results suggested green space, parks, and recreational facilities may have a beneficial effect on weight. Increased crime and low perceived safety may be risk factors for increased weight although not all studies were consistent. Standardization of measures across studies, investigation of multiple social and physical environment measures simultaneously, effect modification by demographic characteristics, and change in the environment vs change in weight analyses are needed to strengthen conclusions.