American journal of preventive medicine
-
The transition to adulthood can be stressful for minority adolescents, and many may cope through unhealthy behaviors, including substance use and obesity-related behaviors. This study tested substance use and obesity trajectories over time in African American youth, longitudinal associations of trajectories with mental and physical health in adulthood, and whether self-control and sex predict trajectories. ⋯ The transition to adulthood is a vulnerable period for many African Americans. Given the commonalities of substance use and obesity in their rewarding/stress-relieving properties, similar prevention efforts may help stem the rise of both in these youth.
-
Direct-to-Member Household or Targeted Mailings: Incentivizing Medicaid Calls for Quitline Services.
Innovative methods are needed to promote tobacco cessation services. The Medi-Cal Incentives to Quit Smoking project (2012-2015) promoted modest financial and medication incentives to encourage Medi-Cal smokers to utilize the California Smokers' Helpline (Helpline). This article describes the implementation and impact of two different direct-to-member mailing approaches. ⋯ This article is part of a supplement entitled Advancing Smoking Cessation in California's Medicaid Population, which is sponsored by the California Department of Public Health.
-
With improvements in early detection and treatment, a growing proportion of the population now lives with a personal history of a cancer. Although many cancer survivors are in excellent health, the underlying risk factors and side effects of cancer treatment increase the risk of medical complications and secondary malignancies. ⋯ The association between receipt of recommended preventive medical care and personal history of cancer varied, depending on the preventive service in question, but in the majority of preventive services assessed, cancer survivors had more frequent screening compared with non-cancer survivors.
-
Skin cancer prevention guidelines recommend practicing multiple behaviors to protect against harmful ultraviolet rays, yet few adults report practicing more than one recommended behavior. This study examines the extent to which skin cancer prevention behaviors are combined and may follow a pattern of compensation in which an individual's performance of one behavior (e.g., wearing sunscreen) precludes performing other protective behaviors (e.g., wearing a hat). ⋯ Although a full evaluation of compensation theory and skin cancer prevention was limited by the available data, the results suggest that application of the theory may yield clues for how to improve sun protection behaviors.
-
This study examined sexual orientation differences in eating behaviors, physical activity, and weight status among adolescents in the U.S. Moreover, this study tested whether parental and peer influences contribute to sexual orientation disparities in adolescent eating behaviors, physical activity, BMI, and examined disparities in weight misperception. ⋯ Parental and peer influences may serve as potential intervention targets to reduce disparities in weight-related behaviors. Longitudinal research is needed to understand the consequences of weight misperception among sexual minority females.