Preventive medicine
-
Preventive medicine · Jun 2004
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical TrialReliability of assessment and circumstances of performance of thorough skin self-examination for the early detection of melanoma in the Check-It-Out Project.
Thorough skin self-examination (TSSE) has substantial potential to reduce melanoma mortality by early detection. ⋯ Estimates of TSSE performance vary substantially with the questions used to elicit this information. Partners, particularly spouses, appear to play a critical role in the conduct of TSSE, and wives appear more often and more effectively engaged in this process. Appropriate circumstances, such as availability of a wall mirror, are also important factors. These findings can be used to design interventions to increase TSSE performance with the ultimate aim of reducing melanoma mortality.
-
Current American Cancer Society guidelines recommend monthly performance of breast self-examination (BSE) for women over 20 years of age. While the experience of a benign breast biopsy can result in elevated levels of distress, the impact of benign biopsy upon breast cancer (BC) screening behavior is not well known. The present study examined frequency of BSE practice in 102 women after benign breast biopsy (biopsy group). ⋯ Only 8% of women in the biopsy group reported appropriate (once per month) practice of BSE at the 8-month Follow-up while 28% reported appropriate practice at the initial interview. Decreases in BSE performance after biopsy were characteristic of younger women, women who lacked confidence in the ability to perform BSE correctly, and women whose biopsy was preceded by discovery of a breast lump or abnormality during BSE. Results suggest the potential value of a psychoeducational intervention after biopsy to enhance appropriate performance of BSE.
-
Hepatitis B continues to be a substantial problem in the United States despite the existence of a safe and effective vaccine. Vaccination programs for inmates could reach many high-risk individuals but little is known about U.S. inmates' willingness to accept hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccination while incarcerated. The goal of this study was to assess inmates' knowledge about hepatitis B and their willingness to accept hepatitis B vaccination while incarcerated. ⋯ Hepatitis B vaccination programs in correctional settings are a public health priority and would be well received by the target population. Such programs would help protect the health of incarcerated persons and the communities to which they return.
-
Preventive medicine · Jun 2004
The role of trust in use of preventive services among low-income African-American women.
This study explored factors that predict higher trust in primary care providers, and examined the role of patient trust on the use of preventive services for low-income African-American women. ⋯ Trust is associated with use of recommended preventive services in low-income African-American women. Stronger patient-provider relationships, with high levels of trust, may indirectly lead to better health through adherence to recommended preventive services for low income African-American women.
-
Preventive medicine · Jun 2004
Case ReportsSpeaking of weight: how patients and primary care clinicians initiate weight loss counseling.
Obesity is epidemic in the US and other industrialized countries and contributes significantly to population morbidity and mortality. Primary care physicians see a substantial portion of the obese population, yet rarely counsel patients to lose weight. ⋯ Strategies that increase the likelihood of patients identifying weight as a problem, or that provide clinicians with a way to "medicalize" the patient's obesity, are likely to increase the frequency of weight loss counseling in primary care visits.