American journal of preventive medicine
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
Physical activity in parks: A randomized controlled trial using community engagement.
Physical inactivity is an important health risk factor that could be addressed at the community level. ⋯ Providing park directors and PABs with training on outreach and marketing, feedback on park users, and modest funds increased the amount of physical activity observed in parks.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
A novel food pantry program: food security, self-sufficiency, and diet-quality outcomes.
The number of food pantries in the U.S. has grown dramatically over 3 decades, yet food insecurity remains a persistent public health problem. ⋯ Freshplace may serve as a model for other food pantries to promote food security rather than short-term assistance by addressing the underlying causes of poverty.
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Physicians have limited time for weight-loss counseling, and there is a lack of resources to which they can refer patients for assistance with weight loss. Weight-loss mobile applications (apps) have the potential to be a helpful tool, but the extent to which they include the behavioral strategies included in evidence-based interventions is unknown. ⋯ Weight-loss mobile apps typically included only a minority of the behavioral strategies found in evidence-based weight-loss interventions. Behavioral strategies that help improve motivation, reduce stress, and assist with problem solving were missing across apps. Inclusion of additional strategies could make apps more helpful to users who have motivational challenges.
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The use of smartphone applications (apps) to assist with weight management is increasingly prevalent, but the quality of these apps is not well characterized. ⋯ All apps received low overall scores for inclusion of behavioral theory-based strategies.