American journal of preventive medicine
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There is little national research on longitudinal patterns of physical activity and sedentary behavior in ethnically diverse teens as they transition to adulthood. ⋯ The vast majority of adolescents do not achieve five or more bouts of moderate physical activity per week, and continue to fail to achieve this amount of activity into adulthood.
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There is little research on household and physical environment barriers to physical activity, particularly in minority populations at high risk for obesity and inactivity. Few studies include data on caregiver and daughter dyads. Formative data were used to develop intervention strategies and pathways for the Girls Rule! obesity prevention intervention, in under-studied high-risk pre-adolescents. ⋯ These findings point toward several physical activity and obesity intervention strategies that can guide obesity prevention efforts.
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The true public health burden of adverse events associated with medical devices is unknown. The purpose of this study, therefore, was to produce the first-ever national estimates of medical device-associated adverse events resulting in emergency department (ED) visits. ⋯ The magnitude of the total estimate, which is over four times greater than the annual number of adverse event reports received by medical device-regulating surveillance systems, emphasizes medical device-associated adverse events as an under-recognized public health problem. Planned collection of more detailed NEISS data will allow for appropriate public health interventions.
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Because the presence and improper storage of household firearms are risk factors for injury, it is important to understand the prevalence of ownership and storage practices within households to help guide intervention development. This systematic review of published articles (1992 to 2002) provides prevalence estimates of firearm ownership and storage practices in U.S. households. ⋯ Although the methodologic rigor of published articles varies substantially, the literature clearly establishes that firearms are common in U.S. households, even in the homes of medical professionals and those with children.
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Obesity is a major health problem in the United States and around the world. To date, relationships between obesity and aspects of the built environment have not been evaluated empirically at the individual level. ⋯ Measures of the built environment and travel patterns are important predictors of obesity across gender and ethnicity, yet relationships among the built environment, travel patterns, and weight may vary across gender and ethnicity. Strategies to increase land-use mix and distance walked while reducing time in a car can be effective as health interventions.