American journal of preventive medicine
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Poison control centers and clinical toxicologists serve many roles within public health; however, the degree to which these entities collaborate is unknown. ⋯ Poison control centers have expanded their efforts to include outbreak identification, syndromic surveillance, terrorism preparedness, and daily public health responsibilities amenable to poison control center resources. Collaboration in these areas and others should be expanded.
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Healthcare reform plans refer to improved quality, but there is little quantification of potential health benefits of quality care. ⋯ Substantial improvements in population health are achievable through greater use of a small number of preventive services. Healthcare systems should maximize use of these services.
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Sports participation, though offering numerous developmental benefits for youths, has been associated with adolescent alcohol use. Differences also exist between men/boys and women/girls in both sports participation and patterns of alcohol-related behaviors, but there are few longitudinal investigations of this relationship. ⋯ Sports may represent an important and efficient context for selective interventions to prevent problem alcohol use and negative consequences of alcohol use among adolescents.
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Every 5 years for the past several decades, the USDHHS and the U.S. Department of Agriculture have issued and updated the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which form the basis of federal nutrition policy and have shown remarkable consistency across various editions among the major themes. ⋯ Deliberate efforts on the part of policymakers, the agriculture sector, and the food industry are necessary to provide a supply of foods consistent with nutrition recommendations and to make healthy choices available to all.