Preventive medicine
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Preventive medicine · Aug 2003
Realizing the promise of breast cancer screening: clinical follow-up after abnormal screening among Black women.
Delayed or incomplete follow-up after abnormal screening results may compromise the effectiveness of breast cancer screening programs, particularly in medically underserved and minority populations. This study examined the role of socioeconomic status, breast cancer risk factors, health care system barriers, and patient cognitive-attitudinal factors in the timing of diagnostic resolution after abnormal breast cancer screening exams among Black women receiving breast cancer screening at three New York city clinics. ⋯ Interventions that address a woman's prior experience with abnormal findings and improve patient/provider communication may improve timely and appropriate follow-up.
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Preventive medicine · Aug 2003
Relationships among smoking status, ethnicity, socioeconomic indicators, and lifestyle variables in a biracial sample of women.
Smoking prevalence rates remain high among women and smoking initiation has increased for young adults. Little is known about the unique patterns of smoking, risk factors, and correlates of quitting in Black versus White women of child-bearing age. ⋯ The results of the study suggest several ethnic differences in smoking patterns as well as several correlates of smoking status. These results have implications for the tailoring of interventions and illustrate the association of other health risk factors with smoking status.
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Preventive medicine · Jul 2003
Does early physical activity predict body fat change throughout childhood?
Declining levels of physical activity in the population at large may be responsible in part for the rising rates of childhood obesity. Studies to date, however, have not consistently demonstrated such a protective effect. We used longitudinal data from the Framingham Children's Study (FCS) to address this important question. ⋯ This longitudinal study adds strong support for the hypothesis that higher levels of physical activity during childhood lead to the acquisition of less body fat by the time of early adolescence.
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Preventive medicine · Jul 2003
Impact of economic policies on reducing tobacco use among Medicaid clients in New York.
New York State (NYS) recently implemented Medicaid coverage for prescription pharmacologic adjuncts for cessation and a 55-cent excise tax on a pack of cigarettes. This study examined awareness and use of stop smoking medications and changes in smoking/purchasing behavior among Medicaid clients. ⋯ The majority of Medicaid clients report a desire to stop smoking, but these economic influences alone are insufficient to substantially reduce smoking in this population. These findings emphasize the importance of allocating a portion of tobacco tax revenue to promote both expanded awareness of this prescription benefit among Medicaid clients and to support programs to further assist low-income smokers in their attempts to stop smoking.
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Preventive medicine · Jul 2003
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical TrialRandomized controlled trial of the effects of nurse case manager and community health worker interventions on risk factors for diabetes-related complications in urban African Americans.
African Americans suffer disproportionately from diabetes complications, but little research has focused on how to improve diabetic control in this population. There are also few or no data on a combined primary care and community-based intervention approach. ⋯ Combined NCM/CHW interventions may improve diabetic control in urban African Americans with type 2 diabetes. Although results were clinically important, they did not reach statistical significance. This approach deserves further attention as a means to reduce the excess risk of diabetic complications in African Americans.