Preventive medicine
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Preventive medicine · Aug 2003
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical TrialResults of a randomized trial to increase breast and cervical cancer screening among Filipino American women.
This paper reports the first evaluation of an intervention to increase breast and cervical cancer screening among Filipino American women. ⋯ Our intervention was only effective in increasing cancer screening among relatively recent immigrants who had very low baseline screening rates.
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Although active smoking acutely increases arterial stiffness, the association between arterial stiffness and chronic exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) has not been evaluated. We used baseline data from the Vitamin E Atherosclerosis Prevention Study to evaluate the association between ETS exposure and arterial stiffness among 227 healthy adult nonsmokers. ⋯ These data indicate that arterial stiffness is adversely associated with ETS in a dose-dependent manner among individuals with higher BMI and greater carotid artery IMT.
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Preventive medicine · Aug 2003
Relationships among smoking status, ethnicity, socioeconomic indicators, and lifestyle variables in a biracial sample of women.
Smoking prevalence rates remain high among women and smoking initiation has increased for young adults. Little is known about the unique patterns of smoking, risk factors, and correlates of quitting in Black versus White women of child-bearing age. ⋯ The results of the study suggest several ethnic differences in smoking patterns as well as several correlates of smoking status. These results have implications for the tailoring of interventions and illustrate the association of other health risk factors with smoking status.
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Preventive medicine · Jul 2003
Does early physical activity predict body fat change throughout childhood?
Declining levels of physical activity in the population at large may be responsible in part for the rising rates of childhood obesity. Studies to date, however, have not consistently demonstrated such a protective effect. We used longitudinal data from the Framingham Children's Study (FCS) to address this important question. ⋯ This longitudinal study adds strong support for the hypothesis that higher levels of physical activity during childhood lead to the acquisition of less body fat by the time of early adolescence.
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Preventive medicine · Jul 2003
Impact of economic policies on reducing tobacco use among Medicaid clients in New York.
New York State (NYS) recently implemented Medicaid coverage for prescription pharmacologic adjuncts for cessation and a 55-cent excise tax on a pack of cigarettes. This study examined awareness and use of stop smoking medications and changes in smoking/purchasing behavior among Medicaid clients. ⋯ The majority of Medicaid clients report a desire to stop smoking, but these economic influences alone are insufficient to substantially reduce smoking in this population. These findings emphasize the importance of allocating a portion of tobacco tax revenue to promote both expanded awareness of this prescription benefit among Medicaid clients and to support programs to further assist low-income smokers in their attempts to stop smoking.