American journal of preventive medicine
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Comparative Study
Sickle cell disease and pregnancy outcomes: women of African descent.
Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a severe hematologic condition that presents unique complications among affected pregnant women. Many studies of adverse perinatal outcomes associated with SCD are limited by small samples or fail to consider important risk factors. ⋯ Population-based linked data systems are useful for assessing risks of adverse health outcomes among women with specific medical conditions, such as SCD. Women with SCD should seek preconception care to identify and modify risk behaviors and receive counseling regarding potential adverse sequelae associated with pregnancy-related morbidity and preterm delivery.
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Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE), known collectively as venous thromboembolism (VTE), affect an estimated 900,000 people in the U. S. each year, resulting in several hundred thousand hospitalizations and about 300,000 deaths. Despite this substantial public health burden, no systematic collection of VTE-related morbidity and mortality data exists in the U. ⋯ The workshop also focused on the advisability and feasibility of establishing systematic surveillance for VTE and included preliminary discussion of the advantages and disadvantages of various approaches. The workshop concluded that (1) improved utilization in clinical practice of existing, proven-effective preventive measures is critical to reducing the disease burden from VTE; (2) systematic surveillance of DVT and PE is needed to provide nationally representative data on the prevalence and annual incidence of DVT and PE in the U. S.; (3) tracking and documenting changes in the incidence of DVT and PE through systematic surveillance will be important to enhance prevention efforts; and (4) the CDC should convene a second group of experts to advise the agency in detail on the strengths, weaknesses, and feasibility of possible approaches to systematic surveillance for DVT and PE.
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Studies of the built environment and physical activity have implicitly assumed that a substantial amount of activity occurs near home, but in fact the location is unknown. ⋯ Findings are consistent with studies showing that certain attributes of the built environment around homes are positively related to physical activity, but in this case only when the outcome was location-based. Simultaneous accelerometer-GPS monitoring shows promise as a method to improve understanding of how the built environment influences physical activity behaviors by allowing activity to be quantified in a range of physical contexts and thereby provide a more explicit link between physical activity outcomes and built environment exposures.
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There is a paucity of population-based data describing health status and use of health services among children with sickle cell disease (SCD). ⋯ The health burden for children with SCD and their families is profound and may be exacerbated by barriers to accessing comprehensive medical care. Additional study of the extent of unmet needs for U.S. children with SCD is warranted.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Effect of smoking scenes in films on immediate smoking: a randomized controlled study.
The National Cancer Institute has concluded that exposure to smoking in movies causes adolescent smoking and there are similar results for young adults. ⋯ There is a direct link between viewing smoking scenes and immediate subsequent smoking behavior. This finding suggests that individuals attempting to limit or quit smoking should be advised to refrain from or reduce their exposure to movies that contain smoking.