Preventive medicine
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Preventive medicine · Dec 2007
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter StudyEight-year change in body mass index and subsequent risk of cardiovascular disease among healthy non-smoking men.
To determine how change in BMI over 8 years is associated with risk of subsequent cardiovascular disease (CVD) among middle aged men. ⋯ A higher BMI and a rising BMI were both associated with an increased risk of CVD, however an increasing BMI did not add prognostic information once current BMI was considered. In contrast, a declining BMI was associated with an increased risk of CVD independent of current BMI.
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Preventive medicine · Dec 2007
ReviewPhysical activity level and health-related quality of life in the general adult population: a systematic review.
Little is known regarding health-related quality of life and its relation with physical activity level in the general population. Our primary objective was to systematically review data examining this relationship. ⋯ Cross-sectional data showed a consistently positive association between physical activity level and health-related quality of life. Limited evidence from randomized controlled trials and cohort studies precludes a definitive statement about the nature of this association.
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Recent studies promisingly indicate that adiponectin plays an important and fundamental role in the development and progression of metabolic and atherosclerosis disorders. Smoking is known as one of the most important risk factors of atherosclerosis, and its relation with metabolic disorders has also been reported. We therefore investigated the association between cigarette smoking and adiponectin concentration in a large sample of Japanese men and women. ⋯ We not only revealed that current smoking habit was associated with low adiponectin level but also found a dose-dependent association between smoking intensity and adiponectin level in current smokers. The present finding may provide further evidence of the importance of a causal relationship between smoking status and adiponectin concentrations.
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Preventive medicine · Dec 2007
Temporal trends in physical activity in England: the Health Survey for England 1991 to 2004.
Physical activity is an established risk factor for chronic disease but very little is known about its temporal trends in England. Such information is crucial for planning public health interventions. ⋯ The common perception that overall physical activity levels are declining may be over-simplistic as despite the decreases in occupational physical activity, there is a clear upward trend in sports participation. Changes in the measuring methodology over time preclude the presentation of a clear picture of the total temporal trends in physical activity in England.
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Preventive medicine · Nov 2007
The impact of socioeconomic level on influenza vaccination among Italian adults and elderly: a cross-sectional study.
To assess the predictive factors of influenza vaccination among Italian adults, focusing on socioeconomic differences. ⋯ Socioeconomic inequalities in influenza vaccine uptake were present among the adults but not among the elderly. Because in Italy the National Health Service provides influenza vaccination to the elderly free of charge, it is possible that this policy attenuated the socioeconomic differential.