Preventive medicine
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Preventive medicine · Dec 2024
Randomized Controlled TrialOrganized cervical cancer screening: A randomized controlled trial assessing the effect of sending invitation letters.
To evaluate the effect of implementing two modalities of organized Cervical Cancer Screening (CCS) program on screening uptake after a six-month delay. ⋯ The implementation of an organized screening based on an invitation letter resulted in a modest increase in participation among non-adherent women six months later.
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Preventive medicine · Dec 2024
Multicenter Study"I've been really happy since I got that letter!": Longitudinal patient perspectives on lung cancer screening communication.
Experts recommend structured shared decision making when discussing lung cancer screening (LCS) and reporting low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) results. We examined patients' reactions to pre- and post-LDCT results communication processes at three medical centers in the US with established LCS programs. ⋯ Despite receiving guideline discordant decision-making communication, patients seem very satisfied, rarely experience severe distress, and have low decisional regret after LCS decision making and receiving the results of their LDCT.
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Preventive medicine · Dec 2024
Assessing the association between cigarette smoking and blood C-reactive protein levels using restructured cohort data.
Cigarette smoke exposure is known to induce inflammation, leading to elevated levels of inflammatory markers such as white blood cell (WBC) count and C-reactive protein (CRP). Despite extensive research on this relationship, longitudinal studies are limited. We aimed to explore the association between cigarette smoke exposure and WBC count and CRP levels by restructuring community cohort data. ⋯ In a community cohort, cigarette smoking was associated with elevated WBC count. However, CRP levels did not consistently reflect inflammation associated with cigarette smoking.
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Preventive medicine · Dec 2024
Secular trends of physical fitness in Austrian children attending sports schools: An analysis of repeated cross-sections from 2006 to 2023.
Physical fitness (PF) offers numerous physical and mental health benefits, especially during childhood. Previous studies investigating trends in children's PF over the years reported contradictory findings. ⋯ There has been a steady decline in PF among Austrian children attending sports schools. This finding underscores the need for enhanced PF monitoring and training in schools to improve public health outcomes.
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Preventive medicine · Dec 2024
Perceptions of neighborhood disorder and gun carrying during adolescence: The indirect effect of exposure to violence.
As society strives to curb gun violence among adolescents, understanding the risk factors associated with gun carrying is of critical importance. The current study seeks to examine the relationship between perceived neighborhood disorder and adolescents' susceptibility to carrying a gun to school. More specifically, the aim of the current study was threefold: (1) to examine the direct relationship between perceived neighborhood disorder and exposure to violence, (2) to investigate the association between perceived neighborhood disorder and gun carrying, and (3) to test the mediating effect of exposure to violence on the relationship between perceived neighborhood disorder and gun carrying. ⋯ While neighborhood disorder is a risk factor for gun carrying among youth, exposure to violence explains the relationship between perceived neighborhood disorder and carrying a gun to school. To reduce the prevalence of gun carrying and gun violence among the adolescent population, mental health resources should be provided to those who reside in communities with high levels of disorder and violence.