Preventive medicine
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Preventive medicine · Apr 2015
ReviewAcceptability of financial incentives for encouraging uptake of healthy behaviours: A critical review using systematic methods.
Financial incentives are effective in encouraging healthy behaviours, yet concerns about acceptability remain. We conducted a systematic review exploring acceptability of financial incentives for encouraging healthy behaviours. ⋯ Financial incentives tend to be acceptable to the public when they are effective and cost-effective. Programmes that benefit recipients and wider society; are considered fair; and are delivered to individuals deemed appropriate are likely to be considered more acceptable.
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Preventive medicine · Apr 2015
Prospective association of vitamin D with frailty status and all-cause mortality in older adults: Results from the KORA-Age Study.
To assess the prospective association of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] levels with frailty status and all-cause mortality in a cohort of community-dwelling participants of the population-based KORA [Cooperative Health Research in the Region of Augsburg]-Age Study. ⋯ Very low 25(OH)D levels were independently associated with incident pre-frailty, pre-frailty/frailty combined and all-cause mortality.
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Preventive medicine · Apr 2015
Is change in availability of sports facilities associated with change in physical activity? A prospective cohort study.
We examined whether change in distance to or number of sports facilities is related to change in metabolic equivalent task (MET) hours/week. ⋯ An increase in distance to and decrease in number of sports facilities were associated with a decrease in physical activity suggesting that changes in availability of facilities may affect physical activity levels.
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Preventive medicine · Apr 2015
"Couch-potatoeism" and childhood obesity: The inverse causality hypothesis.
The bulk of cross-sectional studies suggests that lower levels of physical activity are associated with childhood obesity. Although this has led to the general understanding that "couch-potatoes" are fat on account of their inactive lifestyles, cross-sectional studies do not imply causality. On the contrary, the contribution of physical activity to obesity during childhood is currently unclear, and lately, studies have suggested that "couch-potatoeism" could be the result of obesity rather than its cause. Coupled with evidence suggesting that interventions have had little effect on children's physical activity levels as well as on obesity, this inverse causality challenges the role of physical activity in childhood obesity prevention strategies.
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Preventive medicine · Apr 2015
Tobacco counseling experience prior to starting medical school, tobacco treatment self-efficacy and knowledge among first-year medical students in the United States.
To explore students' tobacco dependence counseling experiences prior to medical school and their associations with tobacco counseling self-efficacy, and familiarity with and perceived effectiveness of tobacco dependence treatment among first-year medical students in the United States. ⋯ Many first-year medical students may already be primed to learn tobacco dependence counseling skills. Enhancing early exposure to learning these skills in medical school is likely to be beneficial to the skillset of our future physicians.