Preventive medicine
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Preventive medicine · Jan 1987
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical TrialLearner characteristics associated with responses to film and interactive video lessons on smokeless tobacco.
To determine college students' cognitive and affective responses to alternative technologies for presenting a lesson on smokeless tobacco, and to learn if responses to experimental conditions were associated with gender, ethnicity, tobacco-use practices, and the practices of significant others, 162 undergraduate students were randomly assigned to either a control group (questionnaire only) or one of two experimental groups. Experimental subjects viewed a videotape or an interactive video version of the lesson and then completed a questionnaire to ascertain knowledge and attitude. Each main effect was significant for knowledge about smokeless tobacco [experimental condition (P less than 0.001); gender (P less than 0.024); and ethnicity (P less than 0.003)]. ⋯ Again, neither gender nor ethnicity interacted significantly with experimental condition, suggesting that attitudes reflect a generalized view toward content irrespective of presentation mode. Responses to both experimental conditions were quite favorable. Items about present and past experiences with tobacco, with the exception of the "Do you smoke?" item, were not associated with total cognitive score or attitude.
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Economic facts on cigarette consumption and production are summarized, and the health consequences of cigarette smoking are reviewed. The magnitude and distribution of these health consequences among the population are discussed in economic terms, that is, in an "accounting framework" comprising such disparate elements as lost lives, lost livelihoods, pain, fear, discomfort, medical costs, excise taxes, and the costs of regulating smoking behaviors. ⋯ Difficulties include assigning a monetary value to an expected extension of life, the "voluntary" nature of smoking (even though most smokers wish they could quit), deciding what to include as economic consequences of smoking, and the attribution to smoking of some share of the costs for diseases known to be affected by smoking. "Transfers," or purely financial transactions, in contrast to expenditures for goods and services, are explained as one assessment component of the economic impact of smoking-related diseases. The issue of the economic benefit to the United States as a whole and to the population engaged in the cigarette industry, because of the earnings and employment generated by cigarette purchases, is examined, as is the issue of cigarette purchases as a significant source of federal and state revenue.
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Preventive medicine · Jul 1986
Predictors of adoption and maintenance of physical activity in a community sample.
Predictors of changes in three measures of physical activity over 1 year were examined in a community sample of 1,411 California adults. Five percent of women and 11% of men adopted vigorous activities (e.g., running), and 26% of men and 34% of women adopted regular moderate activity (e.g., walking). About 50% of vigorous exercisers and 25-35% of moderate exercisers dropped out in 1 year. ⋯ In multivariate analyses, adoption of vigorous activity was predicted by young age, male gender, and self-efficacy. Maintenance of vigorous activity was predicted by attitudes toward physical activity. Adoption of moderate activity was predicted by health knowledge, and maintenance was predicted by specific exercise knowledge, female gender, and self-efficacy.
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Preventive medicine · Jul 1986
A low-cost community approach to weight control: initial results from an evaluated trial.
This article describes a trial of a low-cost, readily disseminatable weight-control program ("Waistline") which uses behavioral, social support, and community strength-building principles. Participants meet for 12 weeks in small, lay-led groups in community settings, and use prepackaged materials designed specifically for those of modest education. Results from 407 participants are presented, showing a mean postcourse weight loss of 5.6 kg (12.3 lb) and a low attrition rate (9-12%). ⋯ A comparison group ("Slimline," N = 26) lost 1.27 kg (2.8 lb) and had an attrition rate of 31-46%. The Waistline results are comparable to those obtained by more intensive and expensive behavioral programs, and demographic data show that those of relatively low educational attainment are well represented. The potential of this approach for cheap, noncommercial dissemination of weight-control programs on a population basis is noted.
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Preventive medicine · Jan 1986
Comparative StudyEstimates of maximum or average cigarette tar, nicotine, and carbon monoxide yields can be obtained from yields under standard conditions.
Average yields of tar, nicotine, and carbon monoxide per liter of smoke and per cigarette were determined for 10 brands of cigarettes smoked under 27 different conditions (one standard and 26 nonstandard). Per cigarette yields were highly variable across smoking conditions due to differences in the total volume of smoke taken for analysis. The results of a simple linear regression analysis indicated that up to 95% of the variation in tar yield per cigarette could be explained by variations in the total volume of smoke produced per cigarette. ⋯ Consequently, values on one scale can be converted to the other, at least for the 10 brands investigated. The average conversion factor for tar, nicotine, and carbon monoxide is 2.5 when proceeding from milligrams per king-size cigarette under standard conditions to milligrams per liter. This relationship is true for both vented and nonvented cigarettes when ventilation holes are not blocked.