Preventive medicine
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Preventive medicine · Oct 2024
Is use of Long-Acting Reversible Contraceptives (LARC) associated with reduced well-woman visits and STI testing? Evidence from female medicaid clients aged 15-24 in Delaware.
Contraceptive method type matters to sexually transmitted infection (STI) prevention, but contraceptive counseling often emphasizes method efficacy and the benefits of "forgettable" methods, including long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARCs). We aimed to explore associations between prescription method type and annual STI testing and investigated whether these associations relate to annual well-woman visits. ⋯ LARC use relates to reduced STI testing in years after method initiation due to reduced attendance to well-women visits. These findings can inform clinical practice and STI prevention.
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Preventive medicine · Sep 2024
ReviewSystematic review of the evidence on physical activity prescriptions for youth.
Despite the well-documented benefits of physical activity (PA), globally, only 20 % of youth engage in sufficient PA. Reviews support the benefits of PA prescriptions on promoting adults' PA, but no comparable reviews exist on studies among youth. This systematic review 1) assesses the state of the evidence regarding PA prescriptions from healthcare practitioners on youths' PA; and 2) identifies gaps to inform future research and practice. ⋯ There is insufficient research on healthcare practitioner delivered PA prescriptions to promote youths' PA to determine effectiveness. Future research with objectively measured PA and more diverse youth samples would advance the evidence.
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Preventive medicine · Sep 2024
ReviewA systematic review and meta-analysis evaluating the effectiveness of minimally supervised home and community exercise interventions in improving physical activity, body adiposity and quality of life in adults living with HIV.
People living with HIV (PLWH) are physically inactive and risk cardiometabolic dysfunction. Home and community exercise (HCE) is pragmatic, cost-effective and improves health in varied chronic conditions. This review aimed to synthesize evidence on the effectiveness of minimally supervised HCE for physical activity (PA), adiposity, quality of life (QoL), and other physical and psychological health indices for PLWH. ⋯ Minimally supervised HCE can improve PA, body fat, physical QoL and other health indices in PLWH.
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Preventive medicine · Sep 2024
Inequalities in exposure to second-hand smoke among adolescent boys and girls in 122 countries: Evidence from the Global Youth Tobacco Survey.
Secondhand smoke exposure (SHS) is a major modifiable risk factor for morbidity and premature mortality. No study has assessed inequalities by sex in SHS exposure among adolescents globally. This study aims to explore the variations in SHS exposure among adolescents globally based on sex. ⋯ These findings emphasize the disparities in SHS exposure between adolescent boys and girls and, hence, highlight the urgent need to strengthen smoke-free policies and adopt targeted policies to address them.
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Preventive medicine · Sep 2024
"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.