Preventive medicine
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Preventive medicine · Feb 1999
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical TrialThe smoking cessation efficacy of varying doses of nicotine patch delivery systems 4 to 5 years post-quit day.
This study was undertaken to evaluate the long-term smoking cessation efficacy of varying doses of transdermal nicotine delivery systems 4 to 5 years post-quit day. ⋯ Nicotine patch therapy with 21 mg/day patches resulted in a significantly higher long-term continuous abstinence rate compared to lower dose patches and placebo. Relapse rates among the various treatment conditions were similar after 1 year postcessation.
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Preventive medicine · Feb 1999
Meta Analysis Comparative StudyComparison of risk estimates for selected diseases and causes of death.
Lifetime risk estimates of disease are limited by long-term data extrapolations and are less relevant to individuals who have already lived a period of time without the disease, but are approaching the age at which the disease risk becomes common. In contrast, short-term age-conditional risk estimates, such as the risk of developing a disease in the next 10 years among those alive and free of the disease at a given age, are less restricted by long-term extrapolation of current rates and can present patients with risk information tailored to their age. This study focuses on short-term age-conditional risk estimates for a broad set of important chronic diseases and nondisease causes of death among white and black men and women. ⋯ Presentation of risk estimates for a broad set of chronic diseases and nondisease causes of death within short-term age ranges among population subgroups provides tailored information that may lead to better educated prevention, screening, and control behaviors and more efficient allocation of health resources.
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Preventive medicine · Feb 1999
Clinical Trial Controlled Clinical TrialEvaluation of a health and nutrition education program in primary school children of Crete over a three-year period.
No national policy for health education in schools exists to date in Greece. The first attempt to apply a school-based health education intervention program was launched in 1992 on all 4,171 pupils registered in the first grade in two counties of Crete. The 1,510 pupils registered in a third county served as controls. ⋯ The short-term changes observed in the present study are markedly encouraging and indicate great potential for progressive improvement. Continuation and expansion of such a program may prove to be beneficial in initiating long-term changes.
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Preventive medicine · Feb 1999
Injuries and risk factors in a 100-mile (161-km) infantry road march.
Light infantry soldiers (N = 218) completed a 161-km cross-country march over 5 days carrying an average +/- SD load mass (i.e., the weight of all equipment and clothing) of 47 +/- 5 kg. ⋯ Carrying heavy loads over long distances can result in a high injury incidence to the lower body, since 36% of soldiers were injured during the 161-km march. Smoking and younger age (< 20 years) were independent risk factors for injuries.
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Preventive medicine · Jan 1999
Clinical Trial Controlled Clinical TrialLong-term effects of aerobic exercise on psychological outcomes.
Although the literature on increased physical fitness and psychological outcomes has grown large, a number of methodological limitations remain unaddressed. The present study was designed to address a number of these limitations while examining the short- and long-term psychological effects following completion of a 12-week aerobic fitness program using bicycle ergometry (and confirmed increases in fitness). ⋯ Overall, results indicate that exercise-induced increases in aerobic fitness have beneficial short-term and long-term effects on psychological outcomes. We postulate that participants in the exercise group did not increase the amount of weekly exercise they performed over the 12-month follow-up period and thus the maintenance of the psychological improvements occurred concurrent with equal or lesser amounts of exercise.