Preventive medicine
-
Preventive medicine · Oct 2016
Volume and social context of physical activity in association with mental health, anxiety and depression among youth.
There is growing interest in physical activity (PA) to prevent mental disorders in youth. However, few studies examine the association between PA and mental health. Further, how PA volume and context relate to mental health and mental disorders remains unclear, especially among youth in transition to adulthood. ⋯ After controlling for PA volume, active youth involved in team sports had better mental health than those who engaged in PA individually. PA volume and the social context of PA are independently associated with mental health among youth. MVPA is inversely associated with anxiety and depressive symptoms.
-
Tobacco smoking is initiated and established mostly during adolescence. The World Health Organization (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) Article 16 outlines the obligation of parties to prohibit the sale of tobacco products to minors. This study examined where and how student smokers obtain cigarettes. ⋯ The method of obtaining cigarettes and access to cigarettes among students varies among sub-Saharan African countries. Adopting and enforcing interventions that prevent youth from accessing tobacco products could be an effective strategy for reducing smoking initiation among youth in sub-Saharan African countries.
-
Preventive medicine · Oct 2016
Preventing tobacco epidemic in LMICs with low tobacco use - Using Nigeria GATS to review WHO MPOWER tobacco indicators and prevention strategies.
Tobacco is a major preventable cause of disease and death globally and increasingly shifting its burden to low and middle-income countries (LMICs) including African countries. We use Nigeria Global Adult Tobacco Survey data to examine indications of a potential tobacco epidemic in a LMIC setting and provide potential interventions to prevent the epidemic. ⋯ Although tobacco use is relatively low in Nigeria as in other African countries, high smoking rate among men compared to women might indicate potential increase in prevalence. Challenges to preventing increasing smoking rate include limited use of evidence-based cessation methods among quit attempters, social acceptability of smoking particularly in bars and restaurants, and gap in knowledge on tobacco-related diseases. However, ratification of WHO FCTC and signing into law of the Tobacco Control law provide the impetus to implement evidence-based interventions.
-
Preventive medicine · Oct 2016
Secondhand smoke exposure and susceptibility to initiating cigarette smoking among never-smoking students in selected African countries: Findings from the Global Youth Tobacco Survey.
Exposure to secondhand smoke (SHS) causes premature death and illness in non-smokers. We examined SHS exposure at home and in public places, as well as susceptibility to initiate cigarette smoking among never cigarette smokers. We used 2006-2011 Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS) data from 29 African countries (56,967 students). ⋯ In many African countries in the study, a substantial proportion of students who never smoked are exposed to SHS at home and in public places. Majority of never smokers who were exposed to SHS at home and in public places had a higher prevalence of susceptibility to initiate smoking than those that were not exposed to SHS at home and in public places. Adoption and enforcement of smoke-free policies in public places and smoke-free rules at home could substantially contribute to reducing SHS exposure in many of these countries.
-
Preventive medicine · Oct 2016
The healthfulness of food and beverage purchases after the federal food package revisions: The case of two New England states.
In 2009, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) implemented new food packages to improve dietary intake among WIC participants. This paper examines how the healthfulness of food purchases among low-income households changed following this reform. ⋯ After the WIC revisions, the healthfulness of participant purchases improved, particularly for beverages. Efforts to encourage healthy eating by people receiving federal food assistance are paying off.