Preventive medicine
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Preventive medicine · Aug 2003
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical TrialPredicting long-term maintenance of physical activity in older adults.
Considerable research has established that self-efficacy is a consistent correlate of physical activity. Additional factors, such as exercise-induced affect, social support, and value judgments, have also been identified as having the potential to influence adherence to activity. This study examined the utility of such variables in predicting the long-term exercise behavior of older adults. ⋯ This prospective study provides support for the inclusion of social cognitive variables in models of exercise adherence and highlights the pivotal role of self-efficacy in long-term exercise behavior. Subsequent trials are called for to replicate and extend these findings.
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Although active smoking acutely increases arterial stiffness, the association between arterial stiffness and chronic exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) has not been evaluated. We used baseline data from the Vitamin E Atherosclerosis Prevention Study to evaluate the association between ETS exposure and arterial stiffness among 227 healthy adult nonsmokers. ⋯ These data indicate that arterial stiffness is adversely associated with ETS in a dose-dependent manner among individuals with higher BMI and greater carotid artery IMT.
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Unhealthy lifestyles contribute substantially to Russia's high mortality. Health control beliefs influence lifestyles to some extent in the West but this relationship is not well studied in Russia. ⋯ Health control beliefs, commoner in younger and better off Russians, were weakly related to behaviours. This has implications for designing interventions to change health behaviours in Russia.
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Preventive medicine · Aug 2003
Realizing the promise of breast cancer screening: clinical follow-up after abnormal screening among Black women.
Delayed or incomplete follow-up after abnormal screening results may compromise the effectiveness of breast cancer screening programs, particularly in medically underserved and minority populations. This study examined the role of socioeconomic status, breast cancer risk factors, health care system barriers, and patient cognitive-attitudinal factors in the timing of diagnostic resolution after abnormal breast cancer screening exams among Black women receiving breast cancer screening at three New York city clinics. ⋯ Interventions that address a woman's prior experience with abnormal findings and improve patient/provider communication may improve timely and appropriate follow-up.
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Preventive medicine · Aug 2003
Relationships among smoking status, ethnicity, socioeconomic indicators, and lifestyle variables in a biracial sample of women.
Smoking prevalence rates remain high among women and smoking initiation has increased for young adults. Little is known about the unique patterns of smoking, risk factors, and correlates of quitting in Black versus White women of child-bearing age. ⋯ The results of the study suggest several ethnic differences in smoking patterns as well as several correlates of smoking status. These results have implications for the tailoring of interventions and illustrate the association of other health risk factors with smoking status.