Preventive medicine
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Research evidence addressing effectiveness of tobacco use prevention interventions has accumulated since the 1970s. Systematic reviews 1985-2006 were considered, building on previous syntheses and spanning tobacco control and prevention efforts to date. Practitioners' experience was drawn upon to supplement research evidence. ⋯ There is strong evidence that school-based tobacco use prevention programs are largely effective for most tobacco use related outcomes, at least in the short term.
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To examine associations between household income, access to sports facilities and gyms, and physical activity in an English city. ⋯ People in low income households, who are more likely to adopt low levels of activity, are least well served by affordable facilities that would enable them to become more active. If the British Government is to meet targets for improving levels of physical activity, it may need to consider how market forces might be creating an inequitable distribution of facility provision.
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Preventive medicine · Apr 2008
Health locus of control beliefs and socio-economic differences in self-rated health.
Social inequalities in health are well documented in the social epidemiology literature. However, less is known about the mechanisms linking individual and area-level socio-economic status to health. In this paper we examine whether health locus of control (HLC) beliefs can help to explain socio-economic differences in self-rated health using the multidimensional HLC scale. ⋯ Some evidence was found that HLC forms part of the pathway between individual and neighbourhood socio-economic status and health. Future research should further explore the psychological consequences of living in economically deprived conditions, alongside material, social and behavioural processes, and examine how this impacts upon people's health and well-being.
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Preventive medicine · Mar 2008
Randomized Controlled TrialInitial efficacy of MI, TTM tailoring and HRI's with multiple behaviors for employee health promotion.
This study was designed to compare the initial efficacy of Motivational Interviewing (MI), Online Transtheoretical Model (TTM)-tailored communications and a brief Health Risk Intervention (HRI) on four health risk factors (inactivity, BMI, stress and smoking) in a worksite sample. ⋯ This was the first study to demonstrate that MI and online TTM could produce significant multiple behavior changes. Future research will examine the long-term impacts of each treatment, their cost effectiveness, effects on productivity and quality of life and process variables mediating outcomes.
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Preventive medicine · Mar 2008
Relationships among multiple behaviors for childhood and adolescent obesity prevention.
Curbing the epidemic of childhood and adolescent obesity requires impacting multiple behaviors. This article examines the interrelationships of physical activity, fruit and vegetable consumption, and limiting television time among elementary, middle, and high school students. ⋯ The findings of this study provide further evidence for the need for early promotion of healthy lifestyle behaviors. The relationships among the target behaviors in three samples strongly support a multiple behavior approach for obesity prevention. Transtheoretical Model-based tailored interventions are currently being used to change multiple behaviors without overwhelming students.