Preventive medicine
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Poor medication adherence is a longstanding problem, and is especially pertinent for individuals with chronic conditions or diseases. Adherence to medications can improve patient outcomes and greatly reduce the cost of care. The purpose of the present review is to describe the literature on the use of incentives as applied to the problem of medication adherence. ⋯ Incentive-based medication adherence interventions are promising but understudied. A significant challenge for research in this area is the development of sustainable and cost-effective long-term interventions.
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Preventive medicine · Nov 2012
Randomized Controlled TrialHealthy Habits, Happy Homes: methods and baseline data of a randomized controlled trial to improve household routines for obesity prevention.
To develop a home-based intervention for parents of 2-5 year old children to promote household routines to prevent overweight/obesity. ⋯ Household routines that increase obesity risk were prevalent among low-income families in this study. If proven to be effective, promotion of household routines related to family meals, sleep, and screen time may prevent young children from becoming overweight/obese.
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Preventive medicine · Oct 2012
Effectiveness of Australia's Get Healthy Information and Coaching Service®: translational research with population wide impact.
With increasing rates of non-communicable disease, there is a need for implementing population-wide, evidence-based interventions for improving behavioural risk factors. Telephone-based interventions provide one option. This study reports on the evaluation of the Australia's Get Healthy Information and Coaching Service®, to improve lifestyle behaviours, amongst a population-wide sample who completed the 6-month coaching programme. ⋯ These results support the effectiveness of replicating an evidence-based intervention in improving population risk factors for chronic disease.
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Preventive medicine · Oct 2012
State background checks for gun purchase and firearm deaths: an exploratory study.
This study examines the relationship between the types of background-information check required by states prior to firearm purchases, and firearm homicide and suicide deaths. ⋯ More extensive background checks prior to gun purchase are mostly associated with reductions in firearm homicide and suicide deaths. Several study limitations are acknowledged, and further research is called for to ascertain causality.