Preventive medicine
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Preventive medicine · Jul 2023
ReviewThe effectiveness of financial incentives for COVID-19 vaccination: A systematic review.
Financial incentives are a controversial strategy for increasing vaccination. In this systematic review, we evaluated: 1) the effects of incentives on COVID-19 vaccinations; 2) whether effects differed based on study outcome, study design, incentive type and timing, or sample sociodemographic characteristics; and 3) the cost of incentives per additional vaccine administered. We searched PubMed, EMBASE, Scopus, and Econlit up to March 2022 for terms related to COVID, vaccines, and financial incentives, and identified 38 peer-reviewed, quantitative studies. ⋯ Financial incentives likely increase COVID-19 vaccine uptake. While these increases appear to be small, they may be meaningful across populations. Registration: PROSPERO, CRD42022316086 (https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD42022316086).
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Preventive medicine · Jul 2023
Family structure and living arrangements as indicators of social isolation, and prostate cancer risk.
Social isolation has been linked to a poorer prostate cancer prognosis. Little is known about how it could also influence its incidence. We investigated the association between family structure and living arrangements as potential indicators of social isolation, and prostate cancer risk, globally and according to disease aggressiveness. ⋯ An inverse dose-response relationship was observed between the number of people living with the subject 2 years before diagnosis/interview and prostate cancer risk (p-trend<0.001). These results suggest a protective role of a rich personal environment on the risk of developing prostate cancer. As several of the associations studied here are novel, replication is required.
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Preventive medicine · Jul 2023
The association between commuting and cardiovascular disease: A biomarker-based analysis of cross-sectional cohort data from the UK Biobank.
This study used cross-sectional UK Biobank data to estimate the influence of active and passive commuting modes and commuting distance on cardiovascular disease (CVD) -related biomarkers as measures of health outcomes. The analysis applied logistic regression to assess the risk of exhibiting individual biomarker values outside a predefined reference interval and standard linear regression to estimate the relation between commuting practices and a composite CVD index. The study sample comprised 208,893 UK Biobank baseline survey participants aged 40 to 69 who use various modes of transport to commute to work at least once a week. ⋯ Although estimates for active commuting modes (cycling, walking) may admittedly be sensitive to different covariate adjustments, our specifications show them to be positively associated with select CVD biomarkers. Commuting long distances by car is negatively associated with CVD-related biomarkers, while cycling and walking might be positively associated. This biomarker-based evidence, although limited, is less susceptible to residual confounding than that from distant outcomes like CVD mortality.
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Preventive medicine · Jul 2023
ReviewEconomic evaluation of exercise interventions for individuals with cancer: A systematic review.
While there is good evidence that exercise is an effective adjunct therapy to cancer care, little is known about its value for money. The aim of this systematic review is to explore the available evidence pertaining to the cost-effectiveness of exercise interventions following cancer. A search of eight online databases (CINAHL, the Cochrane Library (NHSEED), Econlit, Embase, PsycInfo, PubMed, Scopus, Web of science) was first conducted on 26 March 2021 and updated on 8 March 2022. ⋯ Most exercise interventions included were supervised, while close supervision and individualized exercise sessions incurred higher costs. Exercise interventions in cancer care are cost-effective for various cancer types despite considerable heterogeneity in exercise delivery and the type of analysis used for economic evaluation. There is clear value in using decision-analytic modelling to account for the long-term benefits of exercise in cancer care.
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Preventive medicine · Jul 2023
ReviewEffectiveness of behavioural interventions to influence COVID-19 outcomes: A scoping review.
Behavioural non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) (e.g., mask wearing, quarantine, restriction on gatherings, physical distancing) have been used to interrupt transmission of COVID-19 and to reduce the impacts of the pandemic. The aim of this scoping review was to document the efficacy of behavioural NPIs to positively influence COVID-19 outcomes. Following PRISMA guidelines, a systematic search was conducted of PubMed, ScienceDirect, Psych INFO, Medline, CINAHL and Scopus for studies published between January 2020 and February 2023. ⋯ Moreover, behavioural NPIs were reported to be dependent on their consistent use and were difficult behaviours to maintain, highlighting the need for behavioural change. This review highlighted the effectiveness of behavioural NPIs to positively influence COVID-19 reduction outcomes. Further research to promote country- and context-specific documents that will enhance the effectiveness of behavioural NPIs.