Preventive medicine
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Preventive medicine · Oct 2016
Secondhand smoke exposure and susceptibility to initiating cigarette smoking among never-smoking students in selected African countries: Findings from the Global Youth Tobacco Survey.
Exposure to secondhand smoke (SHS) causes premature death and illness in non-smokers. We examined SHS exposure at home and in public places, as well as susceptibility to initiate cigarette smoking among never cigarette smokers. We used 2006-2011 Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS) data from 29 African countries (56,967 students). ⋯ In many African countries in the study, a substantial proportion of students who never smoked are exposed to SHS at home and in public places. Majority of never smokers who were exposed to SHS at home and in public places had a higher prevalence of susceptibility to initiate smoking than those that were not exposed to SHS at home and in public places. Adoption and enforcement of smoke-free policies in public places and smoke-free rules at home could substantially contribute to reducing SHS exposure in many of these countries.
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Preventive medicine · Oct 2016
ReviewBrief interventions to prevent sexually transmitted infections suitable for in-service use: A systematic review.
Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are more common in young people and men who have sex with men (MSM) and effective in-service interventions are needed. ⋯ A small number of interventions which could be used, or adapted for use, in sexual health clinics were found to be effective in reducing STIs among young people and in promoting self-reported STI-risk behavior change in MSM.
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Preventive medicine · Oct 2016
Randomized Controlled TrialEffect of general health screening and lifestyle counselling on incidence of diabetes in general population: Inter99 randomised trial.
We aimed to examine the effect of a large population-based multifactorial screening and lifestyle intervention programme on 10-year incidence of diabetes. In a randomised trial of the general Danish population initiated in 1999-2001 59,616 men and women aged 30-60years were assigned to a five year screening and lifestyle counselling programme (n=11,629) or control group (n=47,987) and followed for ten years in nationwide registers. Intention to treat was applied and risk of diabetes was modeled by Cox regression and expressed as hazard ratios (HRs). ⋯ We observed no difference in incidence of diabetes between the groups in the follow-up intervals from 1 to 6years or after 6-10years (HR=0.94, 0.83 to 1.06; HR=1.03, 0.91 to 1.17). Inviting the general population to participate in a repeated screening and lifestyle counselling programme over five years did not result in lower incidence of diabetes after 10years of follow-up. As expected, significantly more individuals were diagnosed with diabetes in the intervention group during the first year, but this was not followed by a decrease in the following years.
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Tobacco smoking is initiated and established mostly during adolescence. The World Health Organization (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) Article 16 outlines the obligation of parties to prohibit the sale of tobacco products to minors. This study examined where and how student smokers obtain cigarettes. ⋯ The method of obtaining cigarettes and access to cigarettes among students varies among sub-Saharan African countries. Adopting and enforcing interventions that prevent youth from accessing tobacco products could be an effective strategy for reducing smoking initiation among youth in sub-Saharan African countries.
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Preventive medicine · Oct 2016
Integrating worksite health protection and health promotion: A conceptual model for intervention and research.
There is increasing recognition of the value added by integrating traditionally separate efforts to protect and promote worker safety and health. This paper presents an innovative conceptual model to guide research on determinants of worker safety and health and to inform the design, implementation and evaluation of integrated approaches to promoting and protecting worker health. This model is rooted in multiple theories and the premise that the conditions of work are important determinants of individual safety and health outcomes and behaviors, and outcomes important to enterprises such as absence and turnover. ⋯ Findings from two recent studies conducted in Boston and Minnesota (2009-2015) illustrate the application of this model to guide social epidemiological research. This paper focuses particular attention on the relationships of the conditions of work to worker health-related behaviors, musculoskeletal symptoms, and occupational injury; and to the design of integrated interventions in response to specific settings and conditions of work of small and medium size manufacturing businesses, based on a systematic assessment of priorities, needs, and resources within an organization. This model provides an organizing framework for both research and practice by specifying the causal pathways through which work may influence health outcomes, and for designing and testing interventions to improve worker safety and health that are meaningful for workers and employers, and responsive to that setting's conditions of work.