American journal of preventive medicine
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Influenza vaccination concerns among older blacks: a randomized controlled trial.
Vaccination can decrease the morbidity and mortality caused by influenza, yet vaccination rates remain low, especially among minority groups. Previous studies have found that important barriers to vaccination include the fear of adverse reactions and concern that the vaccine causes influenza. ⋯ The VSM affected beliefs about vaccine safety and effectiveness to a greater degree than did the VIS. These findings show that VSM are effective in changing beliefs empirically linked with influenza vaccination and vaccination disparities. The dissemination of VSM to older blacks may increase vaccination rates and reduce vaccination disparities.
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Public health is moving toward the goal of implementing evidence-based interventions. To accomplish this, there is a need to select, adapt, and evaluate intervention studies. ⋯ This article describes the diverse types of feasibility studies conducted in the field of cancer prevention, using a group of recently funded grants from the National Cancer Institute. The grants were submitted in response to a request for applications proposing research to identify feasible interventions for increasing the utilization of the Cancer Information Service among underserved populations.
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Intimate partner violence (IPV) screening remains controversial. Major medical organizations mandate screening, whereas the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) cautions that there is insufficient evidence to recommend for or against screening. An effective IPV screening program must include a screening tool with sound psychometric properties. A systematic review was conducted to summarize IPV screening tools tested in healthcare settings, providing a discussion of existing psychometric data and an assessment of study quality. ⋯ No single IPV screening tool had well-established psychometric properties. Even the most common tools were evaluated in only a small number of studies. Sensitivities and specificities varied widely within and between screening tools. Further testing and validation are critically needed.
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Young adults have the highest smoking rate of any age group in the U.S., and new strategies to decrease young adult smoking are needed. The objective of the current study was to identify psychographic and demographic factors associated with current smoking and quitting behaviors among young adults. ⋯ Young adults are vulnerable to tobacco-industry advertising. Media campaigns that denormalize the tobacco industry and appeal to young adults appear to be a powerful intervention to decrease young adult smoking.
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Public health literacy is an emerging concept necessary to understand and address the broad array of factors, such as climate change, globalization, and poverty, that influence the public's health. Whereas health literacy has traditionally been operationalized as an individual-level construct, public health literacy takes into account the complex social, ecologic, and systemic forces affecting health and well-being. However, public health literacy has not yet been fully articulated. ⋯ Three dimensions of public health literacy--conceptual foundations, critical skills, and civic orientation--and related competencies are also proposed. Public health literacy is distinct from individual-level health literacy, and together, the two types of literacy form a more comprehensive model of health literacy. A five-part agenda is offered for future research and action aimed at increasing levels of public health literacy.