American journal of preventive medicine
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Home Visit Intervention Promotes Lifestyle Changes: Results of an RCT in Mexican Americans.
Hispanic populations are less likely that other ethnicities to meet physical activity guidelines. Community health worker (CHW) outreach is an effective delivery method for behavior change messages owing to shared culture, language, and life experience. This study examined the efficacy of a CHW-delivered intervention, Tu Salud ¡Si Cuenta! (Your Health Matters!) at Home Intervention, to promote physical activity among Mexican Americans. ⋯ This study shows increases in physical activity among those exposed to a CHW intervention, including participants with obesity. It also indicates that the removal of CHW contact tapers the effect at 12 months.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Cluster Randomized Trial of Teens Against Tobacco Use: Youth Empowerment for Tobacco Control in El Paso, Texas.
This study examines smoke-free youth partnerships implementing the Teens Against Tobacco Use model developed by the American Lung Association. This innovative tobacco prevention strategy has not been evaluated rigorously. Students used peer teaching to educate youth about tobacco use and engaged in tobacco control advocacy activities. Participating high school and middle school youth were trained to develop and deliver tobacco prevention presentations to 4th-8th grade students in schools. ⋯ Findings suggest Teens Against Tobacco Use is an effective means of reducing tobacco susceptibility among 4th-8th graders in the immediate term. Longer-term outcome evaluations are needed to determine whether Teens Against Tobacco Use presentations can have a lasting impact on tobacco use.
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Previous research has demonstrated that different forms of mental health trajectories can be observed in service members, and that these trajectories are related to combat. However, limited research has examined this phenomenon in relation to physical health. This study aims to determine how combat exposure relates to trajectories of physical health functioning in U.S. service members. ⋯ Combat exposure during military deployment is associated with poorer physical health functioning trajectories spanning more than a decade of follow-up. However, even when exposed to combat, consistently high physical health functioning is the modal response.
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Processed meats are associated with increased risk of colorectal and stomach cancers, but health and economic impacts of policies to discourage processed meats are not well established. This paper aims to evaluate the cost effectiveness of implementing tax and warning labels on processed meats. ⋯ The model shows that implementing tax or warning labels on processed meats would be a cost-saving strategy with substantial health and economic benefits. The findings should encourage policy makers to consider nutrition-related policies to reduce cancer burden.
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ENDS are evolving quickly with increasing use in the U.S. More recently, e-hookahs have been introduced as healthier alternatives to the traditional hookah-flavored tobacco smoking. To date, virtually all studies of ENDS have focused on e-cigarettes; consequently, little is known about e-hookah use. ⋯ Although e-hookahs are used less commonly than e-cigarettes, e-hookah use is not rare. Compared with e-cigarette users, e-hookah users have a different profile in terms of user demographics and co-use of substances. Given the rapid uptake of ENDS by young adults, these findings suggest the need to understand e-hookah products' distinct characteristics and users' smoking patterns and behaviors to help inform tobacco regulation specific to hookah.