Preventive medicine
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Preventive medicine · Oct 2023
Prolonged screening interval due to the COVID-19 pandemic and its association with tumor characteristics and treatment; a register-based study from BreastScreen Norway.
During the COVID-19 pandemic Norway had to suspend its national breast cancer screening program. We aimed to investigate the effect of the pandemic-induced suspension on the screening interval, and its subsequent association with the tumor characteristics and treatment of screen-detected (SDC) and interval breast cancer (IC). ⋯ Pandemic-induced prolonged screening intervals were not associated with the tumor characteristics and treatment of SDCs, but did increase the risk of a histopathological grade 3 IC. This study provides insights into the possible effects of extending the screening interval.
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Preventive medicine · Oct 2023
The association between social fragmentation and deaths attributable to alcohol, drug use, and suicide: Longitudinal evidence from a population-based sample of Canadian adults.
Social fragmentation has been theorized and empirically associated with suicide in prior research. However, less is known about whether social fragmentation is associated with deaths attributed to alcohol use or drug use. This research examined the association between social fragmentation and risk for deaths attributable to alcohol use, drug use, and suicide (collectively known as deaths of despair) among Canadian adults. ⋯ Social fragmentation is associated with an increased hazard of deaths of despair among Canadian adults. Efforts to improve social cohesion in areas that are highly socially fragmented need to be evaluated.
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Preventive medicine · Oct 2023
Promoting health equity through poverty alleviation policy: Factors associated with receipt of the 2021 U.S. Child Tax Credit in a Nationwide sample.
The 2021 temporary expansion of the U.S. Child Tax Credit (CTC) was a potent policy that addressed poverty as a critical social determinant of health. Yet policies can only have their intended effects if they are implemented appropriately, and it is well known that not all who were eligible for the CTC received it. In this study, we investigated which individual- and state-level factors were correlated with receipt of the 2021 expanded CTC among eligible families. ⋯ As Congress debates whether to make the CTC expansion permanent, this study provides timely evidence to inform poverty alleviation programs to increase participation among eligible and marginalized groups and achieve health equity.
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Preventive medicine · Oct 2023
Higher frequency of fish intake and healthy lifestyle behaviors may be associated with a lower platelet count in Japan: Implication for the anti-atherosclerotic effect of fish intake.
Habitual fish intake and healthier lifestyles are associated with a lower risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). Higher platelet counts (PLCs) are reportedly associated with higher ASCVD events. We aimed to investigate the association between fish intake and lifestyle with PLCs. ⋯ Higher fish intake and healthier lifestyle behaviors may be comprehensively associated with lower PLCs. The intake of N-3 PUFA with anti-inflammatory effects, rich in fish, may also be related to the lower PLC. This association may explain the preventive effects of fish intake on ASCVD risk.
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Preventive medicine · Oct 2023
The prevalence and clustering of alcohol consumption, gambling, smoking, and excess weight in an English adult population.
The aim of this study was to examine the prevalence and clustering of four health risks (increasing-/higher-risk drinking, current smoking, overweight/obesity, and at-risk gambling), and to examine variation across sociodemographic groups in the English adult population. ⋯ An understanding of the prevalence, clustering, and risk factors for multiple health risks can help inform effective prevention and treatment approaches and may support the design and use of multiple behaviour change interventions.