Preventive medicine
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Preventive medicine · May 2022
Messages in prescription drug advertising for four chronic diseases, 2003-2016: A content analysis.
The objective of this study was to examine the frequency and content of messages related to pharmacological and evidence-based, non-pharmaceutical treatments in direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) for prescription drugs treating four chronic diseases in the United States. We used content coding to identify theory-informed categories of messages appearing in a large sample of heart disease, diabetes, depression, and osteoarthritis advertisements, appearing on national and local television between 2003 and 2016 (N = 11,347,070). The data were originally accessed in 2019 and analyzed in 2020-2021. ⋯ No advertisements in our sample portrayed changes in diet or physical activity as an alternative to drugs. Pharmaceutical DTCA across health conditions employ similar strategies to promote use of the advertised drug but vary widely in whether and how they describe non-pharmaceutical treatments that complement or serve as alternatives to medications. Regulators should consider the potential spillover effects of non-pharmaceutical messages in pharmaceutical DTCA when considering future regulatory endeavors.
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Preventive medicine · May 2022
Implications for health system resilience: Quantifying the impact of the COVID-19-related stay at home orders on cancer screenings and diagnoses in southeastern North Carolina, USA.
COVID-19 impacted hospital systems across the globe. Focus shifted to responding to increased healthcare demand while mitigating COVID-19 spread on their campuses. Mitigation efforts limited medical professional-patient interactions, including patient access to preventive cancer screenings. ⋯ After the SAH orders (H3), we estimated 232.5 more breast cancer screenings and 10.6 more breast cancer diagnoses. This work quantifies the impact of COVID-19 associated SAH orders on cancer screenings and diagnoses and suggests the potential for delayed or missed cancer diagnoses. This evident disruption in providing routine medical care also highlights the importance of strengthening health systems (or organizations) and improving resilience to natural disasters and infectious disease outbreaks.
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Preventive medicine · May 2022
Self-perception of health and physical activity among adults before and amidst the COVID-19 pandemic: United States, 2019-2020.
The compounded impact of the COVID-19 lockdowns on self-perception of health (SPoH) and physical activity (PA) levels among U. S. adults remains to be explored. We sought to: (1) describe the SPoH and PA levels among U. ⋯ Negative SPoH were associated with lack of moderate exercise, and lack of muscle-strengthening training among U. S. adults before and amidst the pandemic. Pandemic policies and recommendations should include and facilitate PA, specifically among vulnerable populations.
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Preventive medicine · May 2022
Associations of occupational and leisure-time physical activity with self-rated health in Korea.
Recent findings have suggested that not all physical activity (PA) types improve health and that the health effects of occupational PA (OPA) and leisure-time PA (LTPA) can be different. However, few studies have been reported the association of OPA and LTPA with self-rated health (SRH). Therefore, we aimed to examine the association between different PA domains and general health and the impact of LTPA on the relationship between health and OPA. ⋯ SB was also associated with poor SRH, independent of LTPA. To improve health, it is important to promote LTPA and reduce OPA and SB. In particular, for workers with a higher level of OPA, additional LTPA should be introduced to prevent SRH from worsening.