Preventive medicine
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Preventive medicine · Sep 2021
Awareness of the link between human papillomavirus and oral cancer in UK university students.
Awareness of the link between human papillomavirus (HPV) and oral cancer varies across populations. Levels of awareness and factors may impact HPV vaccine uptake in women and the intent to obtain the vaccine in men if it becomes available. A cross-sectional survey of 1415 UK university students (495 men and 920 women) aged 18-25 years was conducted. ⋯ However, being aware was associated with HPV vaccine uptake in women (aOR = 1.65; 95% CI: 1.19-2.28) and borderline associated with the intent to obtain the HPV vaccine in men (aOR = 1.52; 95% CI: 0.99-2.35). Non-heterosexual men were more willing than heterosexuals to receive the vaccine. Following the UK gender-neutral HPV vaccination programme, there is an opportunity to increase awareness about the link between HPV and oral cancers aside from the cervical cancer link to influence HPV vaccine uptake.
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Preventive medicine · Sep 2021
Active transportation and social capital: The association between walking or biking for transportation and community participation.
Active transportation provides benefits to communities and individuals, yet little is known about its relationship with social capital. This study examined relationships between active transportation behavior and three indices of social capital (community participation, sense of community, and sociopolitical control). Linear regression was used to assess cross-sectional data (N = 1700) from the Survey of the Health of Wisconsin, a population-based representative sample collected in 2014, 2015, and 2016. ⋯ All models controlled for confounding background characteristics. These findings are important for policy and planning work, as designing supportive environments and removing barriers to active transportation can foster social capital through bolstering community participation. The benefits of active transportation may be broader than previously understood and underscore the need to promote active transportation.
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Preventive medicine · Sep 2021
Body mass, cardiorespiratory fitness, and cardiometabolic risk over time: Findings from the Cooper Center Longitudinal Study.
Few studies have adequately assessed the simultaneous effects of changes in cardiorespiratory fitness (fitness) and body mass on cardiometabolic risk. Hence, the current study's aims were twofold: (1) To determine whether increases in body mass result in higher cardiometabolic risk after controlling for fitness changes; and (2) To assess whether increases in fitness result in lower cardiometabolic risk after controlling for weight changes. The study consisted of 3534 patients who came for preventive medicine visits ≥4 times over any 10-year period (1979-2019). ⋯ Moreover, body mass change was significantly related to changes in all cardiometabolic components of MetS. Fitness change was significantly associated with changes in MetS components. Future interventions should focus concurrently on increasing fitness and on body mass loss (or maintenance) to improve cardiometabolic health.
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Research documents that criminal justice contact, such as incarceration, impairs health among family members of those experiencing the contact. Yet little is known about the health consequences of vicarious exposure to another common type of criminal justice contact, police stops. In the present study, we examined the association between youth police stops and mothers' health. ⋯ Associations were similar across mothers' race/ethnicity and education. Taken together, results show that youth police stops exacerbate health problems among mothers. Given the concentration of police stops among youth of color, these findings highlight the consequences of the criminal justice system for population health inequalities.
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Preventive medicine · Sep 2021
Assessing quality-adjusted years of life lost associated with exclusive cigarette smoking and smokeless tobacco use.
The main purpose of this analysis is to quantify quality adjusted life years (QALYs) lost associated with lifetime exclusive cigarette or smokeless tobacco use among U. S. adults. Multiple waves of National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) data linked to death certificate records were used to define current exclusive cigarette and smokeless tobacco use and associated mortality risks. ⋯ Male current exclusive cigarette smokers, aged 25 to 29 years would lose 8.1 QALYs (SE = 0.09), and male current exclusive smokeless tobacco users aged 25 to 34 would lose 4.1 QALYs (SE = 0.22), compared to never users of tobacco. Current exclusive cigarette or smokeless tobacco use is associated with QALY loss. QALYs lost can be lessened through preventing the initiation of tobacco product use or helping tobacco product users quit as early in life as possible.