American journal of preventive medicine
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Few societal-level factors are established as risk or protective factors for sexual violence. Traditional gender norms and gender inequality are linked to sexual violence, but much of this research was conducted internationally or is becoming outdated and may not reflect current norms in the U.S. This study expands on previously published research by examining gender inequality's association with state-level sexual violence. ⋯ Although this study relied on cross-sectional data, collectively, these findings suggest that gender inequality may represent an important societal-level factor associated with sexual violence among women and men. However, this relationship appears complex and requires further research. These findings have potential to inform population-level violence prevention approaches.
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Tobacco use remains the leading cause of preventable death worldwide. Though research on smoke-free policies in the U.S. exists at the state or national level, there is limited evidence on such policies at the county level. This study examined the association between changes in county-level comprehensive smoke-free laws and smoking behavior among U.S. adults. ⋯ County smoke-free policies in the U.S. may have contributed significantly to the reduction in smoking prevalence as well as the reduction in the number of cigarettes smoked among continuing cigarette smokers.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Long-term Results From the FRESH RCT: Sustained Reduction of Children's Tobacco Smoke Exposure.
Standard care interventions to reduce children's tobacco smoke exposure (TSE) may not be sufficient to promote behavior change in underserved populations. A previous study demonstrated the short-term efficacy of an experimental counseling intervention, Family Rules for Establishing Smokefree Homes (FRESH) compared with standard care on boosting low-income children's TSE reduction and maternal smoking at 16-week end of treatment (EOT). This study tested long-term posttreatment efficacy of this treatment through a 12-month follow-up. ⋯ Study results with a sample of underserved maternal smokers demonstrated that the short-term effect of FRESH counseling at 16-week EOT was maintained through 12 months after treatment-for both bioverified child TSE reduction and maternal smoking cessation. Smokers in low-income communities demonstrate elevated challenges to success in standard smoking treatment. FRESH follow-up results suggest the high potential value of more-intensive behavioral intervention for vulnerable smokers.
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Food insecurity during young adulthood affects physical health, mental health, and academic performance. However, little is known about parental and behavioral factors during childhood that may contribute to risk of food insecurity during young adulthood. ⋯ Spending time in food preparation during childhood and high parental nutritional knowledge each have a protective effect against food insecurity during young adulthood. Greater investment in teaching cooking skills during childhood may be beneficial, particularly for individuals at high risk for food insecurity.
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Review Meta Analysis
Text Message Interventions for Physical Activity: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Despite clear health benefits, many individuals fail to achieve the recommended levels of physical activity. Text message interventions to promote physical activity hold promise owing to the ubiquity of cell phones and the low expense of text message delivery. ⋯ Text message interventions lead to higher objectively measured postintervention physical activity compared with control groups. More extensive, well-controlled studies are needed to examine this relationship further and identify characteristics of effective text message interventions.