Preventive medicine
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Preventive medicine · Jun 2021
A spatial analysis of the effect of neighborhood contexts on cumulative number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in U.S. Counties through October 20 2020.
COVID-19 has become a nationwide public health crisis in the United States and the number of COVID-19 cases is different by U. S. counties. Also, previous studies have reported that neighborhood contexts have an influence on health outcomes. ⋯ In conclusion, there exist geographical differences in cumulative number of COVID-19 cases in U. S. counties, which is influenced by various neighborhood contexts. Hence, these findings emphasize the need to take various neighborhood contexts into account when planning COVID-19 prevention.
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Preventive medicine · Jun 2021
Is the ongoing obesity epidemic partly explained by concurrent decline in cigarette smoking? Insights from a longitudinal population study. The Tromsø Study 1994-2016.
The increase of obesity coincides with a substantial decrease in cigarette smoking. We assessed post-cessation weight change and its contribution to the obesity epidemic in a general population in Norway. A total of 14,453 participants (52.6% women), aged 25-54 years in 1994, who attended at least two of four surveys in the Tromsø Study between 1994 and 2016, were included in the analysis. ⋯ The scenario where none quit smoking would imply a 13% reduction in BMI gain in the population, though substantial age-related differences were noted. We conclude that smoking cessation contributed to the increase in obesity in the population, but was probably not the most important factor. Public health interventions should continue to target smoking cessation, and also target obesity prevention.