American journal of preventive medicine
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Diabetes can be prevented or delayed in high-risk adults through lifestyle modifications, including dietary changes, moderate-intensity exercise, and modest weight loss. However, the extent to which U.S. adults with prediabetes are making lifestyle changes consistent with reducing risk is unknown. ⋯ Adoption of risk reduction behaviors among U.S. adults with prediabetes is suboptimal. Efforts to improve awareness of prediabetes, increase promotion of healthy behaviors, and improve availability of evidence-based lifestyle programs are needed to slow the growth in new cases of diabetes.
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Variation in the quality of ambulatory care may be a key factor in explaining disparities in health, and these disparities have large cost implications. ⋯ Race may be a key predictor of preventable hospitalizations for some ACSCs. Racial disparities in these hospitalizations represent excess costs to Medicare. Because ACSC admissions are potentially preventable with optimal ambulatory care, improving care for minority populations may reduce disparities and lower hospital costs.
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The number of individuals with sickle cell disease (SCD) in the U.S. is unknown. Determination of burden of disease, healthcare issues, and policies is best served by representative estimations of the SCD population. ⋯ The number of individuals with SCD in the U.S. may approach 100,000, even when accounting for the effect of early mortality on estimations. A paucity of high-quality data limits appropriate estimation. State-to-state variability may preclude application of state-specific information to other states or to the nation as a whole. Standardized collection and centralized reporting, a surveillance system, will be necessary to assess the size and composition of the U.S. SCD population.
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The prevalence and severity of obesity have increased among children and adolescents. Although the medical and psychosocial consequences of youth obesity have been well documented, comparatively less information exists on the association of overweight/obesity with health-risk behaviors, which are considered to be a primary threat to adolescent health. ⋯ Overweight and obese young people are at risk of developing health-compromising behaviors that may compound medical and social problems associated with excess weight.
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Better understanding the possible effects of vaccinating employees is important and can help policymakers and businesses plan vaccine distribution and administration logistics, especially with the current H1N1 influenza vaccine in short supply. ⋯ Timely vaccination of at least 20% of the large-company workforce can play an important role in epidemic mitigation.