Preventive medicine
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Preventive medicine · Jan 2015
Randomized Controlled TrialEvaluation of a brief counseling for tobacco cessation in dental clinics among Swedish smokers and snus users. A cluster randomized controlled trial (the FRITT study).
The aim of this study is to assess the effectiveness of a very brief structured counseling for tobacco cessation in dentistry clinics. ⋯ Very brief and structured counseling in dentistry may achieve positive behavioral modifications among tobacco users, with significant reduction of tobacco consumption, particularly among smokeless tobacco users.
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Preventive medicine · Jan 2015
Relationships between dog ownership and physical activity in postmenopausal women.
Positive associations between dog ownership and physical activity in older adults have been previously reported. ⋯ Dog ownership is associated with increased physical activity in older women, particularly among women living alone. Health promotion efforts aimed at older adults should highlight the benefits of regular dog walking for both dog owners and non-dog owners.
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The health of populations depends on the availability of clean air, water, food, and sanitation, exposure to pathogens, toxins and environmental hazards, and numerous genetic, behavioral and social factors. For many thousands of years, human life expectancy was low, and population growth was slow. The development of technology-based civilizations facilitated what Abdel Omran called "epidemiological transition," with increasing life expectancy and rapid population growth. ⋯ Climate change poses unprecedented threats to human health by impacts on food and water security, heat waves and droughts, violent storms, infectious disease, and rising sea levels. Whether or not humanity can reduce greenhouse gas emissions quickly enough to slow climate change to a rate that will allow societies to successfully adapt is not yet known. This essay reviews the current state of relevant knowledge, and points in a few directions that those interested in human health may wish to consider.
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Preventive medicine · Jan 2015
Quasi-causal associations of physical activity and neighborhood walkability with body mass index: a twin study.
Physical activity, neighborhood walkability, and body mass index (BMI, kg/m(2)) associations were tested using quasi-experimental twin methods. We hypothesized that physical activity and walkability were independently associated with BMI within twin pairs, controlling for genetic and environmental background shared between them. ⋯ The association between activity and BMI is largely due to shared genetic and environmental factors, but a significant causal relationship remains accounting for shared background. Although walkability is not associated with BMI, it is associated with neighborhood walking (but not MVPA) accounting for shared background, suggesting a causal relationship between them.
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Preventive medicine · Jan 2015
Implications of lower risk thresholds for statin treatment in primary prevention: analysis of CPRD and simulation modelling of annual cholesterol monitoring.
To estimate numbers affected by a recent change in UK guidelines for statin use in primary prevention of cardiovascular disease. ⋯ The proposed change of risk threshold from 20% to 10% would result in the substantial majority of those recommended for cholesterol testing being indicated for statin treatment. Implications depend on the value of statins in those at low to medium risk, and whether there are harms.