American journal of preventive medicine
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Harnessing engagement in online searching and social media may provide complementary information for monitoring alcohol use, informing prevention and policy evaluation, and extending knowledge available from national surveys. ⋯ Strong associations were found among individual alcohol use and state-level alcohol-related searching/posting measures, which were moderated by the strength of state alcohol policies. Findings support using novel personally generated data to monitor alcohol use and possibly evaluate effects of alcohol control policies.
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Various built environment factors might influence certain health behaviors and outcomes. Reliable, resource-efficient methods that are feasible for assessing built environment characteristics across large geographies are needed for larger, more robust studies. This paper reports the item response prevalence, reliability, and rating time of a new virtual neighborhood audit protocol, drop-and-spin auditing, developed for assessment of walkability and physical disorder characteristics across large geographic areas. ⋯ Compared with segment-based protocols, drop-and-spin virtual neighborhood auditing is quicker and similarly reliable for assessing built environment characteristics. Assessment of large geographies may be more feasible using drop-and-spin virtual auditing.
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Sexual minorities are disproportionately more likely than heterosexuals to suffer from substance use disorders, but relatively little is known about differences in substance use disorders across diverse sexual minority subgroups. There is also limited understanding of how different social stressors account for sexual orientation disparities in substance use disorders. ⋯ Sexual minority subgroups have a greater prevalence of substance use disorders, mediated through both stressful life events and lesbian, gay, and bisexual discrimination. More research is needed to comprehensively assess the processes underlying sexual orientation substance use disparities.
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Despite weight and fitness requirements, the prevalence of overweight and obesity in the U.S. military approaches that in the general population. The purpose of this study is to assess trends in anthropometric measurements shortly after military enlistment. ⋯ Future research is needed to understand determinants of unhealthy weight gain and the association between weight gain and physical fitness among young adults embarking on a military career.
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Alcohol misuse, cigarette smoking, poor diet, and physical inactivity, known as the "big four" contributors to chronic conditions and mortality, typically co-occur or cluster together, with their synergistic effect more detrimental to health than their cumulative individual effects. Little research has been reported on race/ethnicity-specific analyses of the clustering of these behaviors in the U.S. This study identified clustered risk behaviors among whites, blacks, and Hispanics and examined whether unhealthy clusters were associated with lower SES (assessed by education level and family income) and poor health status. ⋯ Multi-behavior interventions are warranted to address inactivity and obesity in all 3 groups and unhealthy clusters involving smoking in each group.